Breaks and Repairs
by Headbanger Rockstar
Summary: Sequel to Daddy's Boy. Picking up shortly after Daddy's Boy left off...what happens next? Warnings to come! AU & OOC. TonyGibbs Father/Son. 3rd story in Terminal Orders Series.
1. Bullies

**Author's Note:** This story is a continuation of Terminal Orders and its sequel "Daddy's Boy." You really need to read the others first so you'll know what's going on here. This story will revisit some more of the flashbacks from Terminal Orders in depth, as well as explore a couple of other incidents that we haven't seen up until now. Story spoilers and direct quotes taken from Terminal Orders. You might want to read it first.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I don't own NCIS or any of its characters. No episode spoilers, Gibbs/Tony father-son.

_Thanks to my wonderful beta, Gotgoats, who has poked me and prodded me to get this new story started hehehehehhe Thanks sweetie! Love you pbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt_

**Breaks & Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 1: Bullies**

"Tuh-ohh-neee," Six year old Tony DiNozzo Gibbs said, sitting at the family's kitchen table, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Kelly had decided to go to the field and play with the other kids since the sun was shining. She would be back in time for dinner.

Next to Tony, Shannon Gibbs smiled and ran her hand over the child's hair. He'd been moving from the couch to the table and back again today, keeping his activities light and easy, so she wasn't making him wear the helmet. It was so hot, the little one was just miserable in it. And soon enough he'd have his surgery and have to wear one nonstop for a few days, so she figured she could let him be happy for a while now—as long as they were sitting and playing and not up and running around.

It was the second week in June, the Monday after the adoption hearing, and the temperatures were already sweltering in Southern California. Anyone who said the desert only gave a dry heat had never lived in the desert near a beach. The humidity was through the roof and the heat waves rose off the ground in sickening waves that made the sidewalk look wavy. Tony, who was still recovering from the gunshot graze to his face a couple of weeks ago, had been having migraines that were even worse than they'd been initially, thanks to the heat. He'd woken up with another headache this morning, crying and whimpering pitifully in pain…begging the hurt to go away…begging the light to stop stinging his eyes and the sounds to quit pouring acid into his ears…

Now though, a dose of non-narcotic pain medicine and a nap later, he was on the mend and feeling better. And he'd informed Shannon over lunch that he wanted to learn to spell his name. Kelly knew how to spell her name, and his best friend, Scott, had spelled his out loud for Tony when he'd come over to play a couple of days earlier. All of the other kids were learning to spell stuff—and Tony wanted to learn to spell stuff too! All of this had led them to this moment—Tony was now sitting at the kitchen table and Shannon was helping him spell his name.

"A first letter I hear izza T!" Tony declared firmly, before looking up at his new mommy for feedback.

"You're absolutely right!" Shannon said with a smile. She helped Tony write a T on the piece of paper. "What do you think the next letter in your name might be?"

Tony thought for a minute and then began speaking softly, trying to figure it out. "Tuh, T. Ohhhh…Is it a O?" he asked, uncertain.

Shannon smiled and nodded. "It is an O!"

She helped him write an O and he smiled. "That a circle!"

Shannon clapped her hands. "You are so smart!" She exclaimed happily. "What do you think comes after the O?"

Tony thought for a minute…he sounded out his name again… "To…nee! I haves a knee! I haves two knees!" He pointed at his leg. "Just like in my name!"

"It's very close," Shannon said. "What letter do you think the Nee part of your name begins with?"

"Umm…" Tony tapped his chin thoughtfully, and turned his eyes to the ceiling. He looked at the magnet letters on the cookie sheet next to him. "I's dunno," he finally admitted.

"Well let's look," Shannon said. She held up a B. "What letter is this?"

"A Beeeeee," Tony said.

"And does a Beeeee make a Neeeee sound?"

Tony thought about it for a moment then shook his head. "No," he said softly.

Shannon held up an H. "What about this letter?"

"Ha, ha, ha," Tony breathed out in short bursts. "Thassa H! It makes a laugh."

Shannon chuckled. She held up a W. "What about this one?"

Tony remembered that this was one of the tricky letters that had a really long name. "That…a double-bubble-you!" he exclaimed, proud of himself for remembering.

Shannon laughed. Her kid was so adorable. "It is a W, you're right," she praised him. "Does it make a Neeee sound?"

Tony shook his head, "Nope it makes a wuh wuh wuh sound."

Shannon held up the N. "What about thissssss one? Which one is this?"

"It's a M," Tony said.

"Mmmm that's close, but not quite. It's right next to M in the alphabet…"

"A N!"

"That's right. Now does an N make a Nuh sound?"

"Yes!" Tony all but bounced in his chair.

"And is there a Nuh sound in Neeee?"

Tony nodded. "And a E onna end!"

"It is an E sound you are exactly right. But this time is tricky, because there is another letter that can make an E sound too."

Tony looked at her curiously. Learning to spell was hard work! "What letter is it?"

Shannon held up a Y. "Y's can also make E sounds. Tricky, eh?"

Tony looked down at the Y. "Why's it gotta be twicky? It should be easy like a other letters!"

Shannon helped Tony write an N and then a Y on the paper. "It should try to not be so tricky, shouldn't it?" Tony nodded. Shannon kissed his cheek—a quick peck. "Now! Can you read what that says?"

Tony stuck one finger out and pointed at the T. "T…O…N…Y…"

"Those are the letters! Try to put the sounds that the letters make together and see if you can tell me what it says."

"Tuh-ohhh-neeee. TONY!" Tony looked at Shannon and smiled. He was missing his two bottom teeth and was absolutely adorable.

"That's right Sweetie. You spelled your name. Now…let's see if we can spell your last name."

"I gotta new last name," Tony said. "A judge gaved it to me."

"That's right! What is your new last name, do you remember?"

"Gibbbbbbbsssss," Tony said with a smile. "I's Ann-Tony A Nozzo Gibbbbssss!"

xxx

Jethro came home from his first day back at work, still surprised by the news he'd been given. He'd been called into his CO's office just before he'd left for the day. His CO asked him how Tony was doing, if he was recovering from the injury he received in the courtroom. Jethro told him that yes, Tony was healing up nicely, still having some headaches, but they'd been told to expect that. With no little amount of pride, he spoke of the adoption hearing and how the Gibbses now had full permanent custody of Little Tony. His CO smiled at him and what he'd had to say then, left Jethro smiling all the way home.

He came in the house and smiled when he saw Tony laying on the couch asleep. Shannon came in from the kitchen and smiled. "Hi baby!" They shared a quick kiss and Shannon asked him how his day was.

"It was…interesting," Jethro said, setting his cover down on the table. "Talked to my CO today."

"Was he angry that you'd had to take so much leave time?"

Jethro shook his head. "No…no actually…he's giving me paternal leave."

"Paternal…because we got Tony?" Shannon's eyes widened. Jethro nodded. "For how long?"

"Six weeks," Jethro said with a smile.

"You're off for six whole weeks? In the summer! Jethro! That is wonderful news!" Shannon could barely contain her excitement.

A muffled groan sounded from the couch and Shannon covered her mouth with her hands. "I hope I didn't wake him," she whispered, glancing at Tony. "His head and leg were hurting him again today…he took some medicine this morning and felt better for a little while but…this afternoon he said he didn't want any because he didn't want to sleep through you being home this evening."

Jethro smiled sadly, knowing the child was choosing to be in pain in order to see him, rather than do what was needed to feel better. He watched as Tony's hand suddenly shot to his leg and his sleeping face contorted with pain a moment before his eyes opened.

"Go get his meds," Jethro told Shannon. "I'll talk to him." He knelt next to his son. "Tony? Buddy?" Tony slowly blinked his eyes open and they quickly filled with tears of pain. "Where's it hurting Tony?" Jethro asked softly.

Tony pointed to his leg and groaned softly as the muscles contracted a bit more.

"Mommy's going to give you your medicine ok? I want you to take it so you'll feel better."

"I's don't want it," Tony whispered, even as the tears in his eyes streamed down his face. "I wanna play with you."

"Well you know…I talked to my boss today and he is so excited that you're my little boy now that he is letting me have some more time off so I can play with you more. So I don't have to go to work again until it's almost time for you to go to Kindergarten. How's that sound?"

"That's a long time a be off works, Jethro!"

"It sure is! So tonight let's give you your medicine so that tomorrow you'll be feeling better. How's that sound? We can play all day tomorrow, and tonight if you want to take a nap in my lap, you can. OK?"

Shannon came in with the syringe with the cherry flavored medicine. Tony reached out for it and stuck it in his mouth. "Attaboy," Jethro said.

"Such a big boy now," Shannon commented, taking the empty syringe back from her son. Tony grinned.

"I'm going to run upstairs and put my play clothes on," Jethro said. He picked his cover up from where he'd laid it on the table and headed for the stairs. "Tony you sit tight ok?"

Tony yawned. "Ok," he mumbled.

By the time Jethro got back downstairs, Tony had dozed off again, a tiny smile on his face.

xxx

Kelly was thrilled to learn that her Daddy was going to be off of work for a while. Her eyes rounded when Jethro told her how long that was. Never in her life, could she ever remember her Daddy having that much time off of work! Of course, Jethro hadn't had that much time off since he'd last been given a paternal leave when Kelly was born. He was able to take a week or two here and there, but not practically the whole summer!

She'd immediately begun to chatter away and make plans for the whole family to have the summer completely booked. She was SO excited.

Jethro and Shannon were both quick to stop her though, reminding her that Tony would still be having surgery to get his leg fixed this summer, and that Tony was still having the bad headaches that made him feel so awful.

Kelly sighed when her parents told her these things. They were things that she already knew, but they were not things that were making her happy. She wanted to go-go-go and have as much fun as possible, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit hindered by her brother who was feeling so bad.

"Can't…can't we get Grandpa and Grandma to come back out and play with Tony and we do some fun stuff?"

Jethro smiled sadly at Kelly and pulled her into his lap. "Now Kelly, if you weren't feeling good would you want us to leave you with Grandma and Grandpa so Tony, Mommy and I could go off and have fun without you?"

Kelly thought about it for a minute and then shook her head. No she didn't think she'd like that. Jethro nodded. "Then we shouldn't do that to Tony either, because I think it would make him feel very sad."

Kelly relented and didn't speak of it again. She loved to go and do and have a good time…but she loved her brother even more than that.

xxx

A few days later, Tony was laying on his tummy on the grass outside, helmet strapped firmly on his head. He was driving a car back and forth across the sidewalk in front of him making quiet car noises when he heard a strange sound. Sasha was laying beside him on the grass and raised her head when she heard the noise too. He looked up and he saw some of the neighborhood kids standing at the end of the sidewalk leading up to his house.

"H-Hi," Tony said softly.

The other kids laughed and didn't answer. They just stared at him. Finally one of the kids—someone who Tony knew was friends with Griffin St. James—spoke up. "What's with the helmet? You aren't doing anything but laying in the grass. What, are you afraid you're going to break your head?"

Tony stared at the kids, used to being heckled and bullied by them, but sad because he was playing by himself in his own yard and he wasn't messing with anyone today. He finally felt good enough to go outside and play some, but Shannon had told him to stay close to the house.

Jethro was working on Shannon's flowers in the back yard…Tony should have gone to play there instead. Sasha growled softly.

"Oohhhhh are you going to sic your big stupid dog on me, Dummy?" the kid sneered.

Kelly was up in the field playing with Maddie Tyler…she wasn't able to hear this. Jethro was around the house…he'd hear if Tony screamed…but Tony knew better than to scream—his mean-daddy had taught him that. You always get beat up worse if you scream. Shannon had told him that she would be just inside if he needed her, but she was doing the laundry and Tony didn't know if she could hear him or not.

He decided the best thing to do, was keep playing with his car and not mess with those mean kids. He patted Sasha on the head and turned his attention back to the car he was playing with.

A moment later a foot kicked the car out of his hand and Tony yelped in fear and pain. They were kicking him! Would they kick his bad leg? Would they kick his head where it was already hurt? Tony tucked his head down trying to get away from the blows. He put his arms over his head to block his face. Fingers pinched and poked at him, and hot and dusty sneakers kicked his legs and sides. He could faintly hear Sasha barking.

Another child was riding by on a bike, and when he saw what was going on his eyes widened in anger and disbelief. He jumped off of his bike and began pushing and shoving his way through the crowd.

"Leave him alone!"

Through the haze of hits and pokes and kicks, Tony heard the voice calling out for the kids to stop over the heckles and laughter of the others.

Finally the kids stopped and Tony stayed still, breathing hard and keeping his face covered. He heard people shuffling and a moment later two feet stepped close to Tony's face and then turned so the person was facing away from him. "He don't deserve none of us being mean to him! He's a nice kid," the voice said firmly. "Leave him alone or I'll knock ya."

Tony timidly lifted his face. He flinched away when the feet turned suddenly and the owner of the feet knelt in front of him. "It's ok Tony," Griffin St. James said, much to Tony's surprise. He hooked his hand gently around Tony's arm and slowly helped him up. "Are you hurt?"

Tony felt horrible…the hits that the other children had landed…while only a few, had been well placed. "I's ok," Tony whispered, but he was shaking horribly and even his voice trembled when he spoke.

Griffin narrowed his eyes and reached for Tony's helmet. He stopped when Tony flinched again. "I'm not gonna hurt you," he said softly. He gently straightened Tony's helmet. "Did they hurt your face?" He could see the fading bruises and the place where the stitches had been around his eye.

Tony shook his head. "I-It's ok," he whispered again.

"What is going on over here?" Jethro's voice rang out from the side of the house. He'd heard Sasha barking and then heard the children yelling. His eyes widened when he saw Tony and he moved closer to the boys.

Tony felt fresh tears of relief springing to his eyes. "Jethro…I…"

Jethro dropped to his knees in front of his little boy. "Are you ok?" He dusted some dirt off of the helmet and wiped a stray tear from Tony's cheek. "Did they hurt you?"

"Kicked m-me some," Tony said softly. "But I's fine," he assured his new daddy softly.

"Where'd they kick you?" Jethro looked closely at Tony's face. "Did they hurt your face?" His gaze moved next to the left leg that was so crooked and deformed anyway. "Is your leg ok?"

"I's okkkk," Tony insisted.

Jethro looked at him for a long moment, hands resting on his shoulders, and then nodded grimly. He stood up and turned to the group of children—all older than Tony—and his face grew dark.

"Let me guess," he said, his voice rumbling softly like a storm on the horizon. The children standing before him shrank a bit in fear of this very scary man. "Tony _must_ have been taunting and teasing you, picking fights and generally being horrible. That's why you all attacked him, right?"

The children were quiet. They looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. They couldn't read this man. Behind him, Little Tony stood quiet, trying to understand why Jethro would say those things. Did he really think Tony would do those awful things?

"I expect an answer," Jethro said, his voice tight with anger.

One of the kids, Sammy, Tony thought was his name, stepped forward. "No, uh, no sir," he said softly.

"He _didn't_?" Jethro feigned shock. "But…if he didn't do those things…then…I don't think I understand why _you_ were doing what you were doing?"

Sammy toed the ground and stared at his knees. "Um…well you see…we were um…"

"They were being mean because they're my friends and I had told 'em that they always should be mean to him," Griffin said. "But that was a long time ago and I shouldnta said that…" he turned to Tony. "I'm really sorry Tony."

"Now—I want you boys to understand something," Jethro said, and Tony didn't think he'd ever heard his tone of voice more serious.

The children looked at Jethro as though he held all of the information in the universe.

"Violence…violence is _never_ a good solution. Tony _wasn't_ _doing_ _anything_ to you—and I know that because I _know_ Tony. Now, it's alright to not like someone, and it's ok to not want to be friends with someone. But it is never ok to be mean to people because you don't like them. It is never ok to be a bully just because someone is different than you are. It is never ok to do what you just did, and I will be talking personally with each of your parents."

The children's eyes widened.

"B-But M-Mr. Gibbs w-we won't do it again," Sammy said. The others nodded in frantic agreement.

"I would hope not," Jethro snapped. "But I will be speaking with your parents. Now all of you need to go home. I don't want to see any of you in my yard again. We clear?"

"Yessir," They all scurried away.

Jethro stood firm until the children were gone, and then he turned around. He picked Tony's car up off the ground and scooped Tony up into his arms. The little boy was a little bit pale, but seemed mostly unharmed. Jethro was concerned because Tony was shaking so badly. Jethro wanted Shannon to take a look at him. He whistled for Sasha to come and they headed inside.

xxx

"SHANNON!" Jethro raced through the house, clutching his boy close to him, eyes wide in panic as the realization of what could have happened set in for the young father.

Shannon poked her head out of the laundry room, concern and confusion on her face. "Jethro? What in the world are you yelling for? What's wrong?"

"You gotta take a look at Tony," Jethro said urgently, trying to keep his voice under control—trying not to show his child how frightened he was.

Shannon came over to Jethro, standing in the kitchen, his eyes wide with fear. "What happened?"

"The kids…they were…they were beating him," Jethro said in whispered horror. "On his sides and his legs…there's dirt on his helmet…"

Shannon's eyes widened in shock, but Jethro saw the tell-tale sign of her rage beginning—there was a slow flush creeping up the side of her neck. She nodded. "Let me get my bag," she said. "Go sit on the couch for me ok?"

Jethro nodded and Shannon tweaked Tony's toe. "Hi Baby," she said softly.

Tony gave her a small, scared smile, and waved softly. "Hey," he whispered.

They headed for the couch and Jethro kept Tony in his lap while they waited for Shannon. "You feeling ok Tony? Anything hurting?"

Tony shook his head before laying it down on Jethro's shoulder. Jethro reached up and gently unfastened the clasp holding the helmet on. He slid the helmet off of Tony's head and ran his fingers through the child's sweaty hair.

Shannon came in and sat on her knees on the floor in front of Tony. She smiled at him and tickled his tummy softly. Jethro could see the flush had crept farther up her neck…she was getting more angry about this by the moment. "Can I look at your belly," she said conversationally, with a big smile. "It's such a nice belly, but I need to see if it needs tickling," she said, giggling.

Tony giggled and pulled up his shirt. She ran her fingers gently over several spots that were red, and when Tony hissed in pain she stopped and her mouth set into a firmer line. "Let me get my camera," she said, her voice tight and quiet. She got up and left the room.

A moment later, she returned, camera in hand. "I'm going to take a picture of that beautiful belly," she said, snapping pictures of the little boy's marred torso.

Tony laughed softly. "You silly," he said softly, but his voice lacked the enthusiasm it usually did.

"I know I know," Shannon conceded, "Mommy's pretty silly isn't she?"

Tony nodded. Shannon pulled out her stethoscope and warmed it by blowing on it. "Whatcha got for me to listen to?" She put the earbuds in her ear.

Tony thought for a minute and then stuck out his leg. "My knee," he said with a quiet giggle. "Like in my name!"

Shannon chuckled and put the chestpiece on his knee. She listened quite seriously and then moved it to the back of Tony's knee and the child erupted in a fit of giggles—Shannon knew that the spot behind Tony's knee was one of the most ticklish spots on the little boy. "How about now I listen to your…"

"Hand!" Tony said, putting his hand out, palm up. Shannon nodded and listened carefully.

"How about your tummy," Shannon said. "I wanna see if your tummy likes what we had for lunch," she said.

Tony nodded eagerly. Shannon pressed the chestpiece to Tony's tummy and from there it was easy to move it up to his chest and listen there. Tony flinched once when it hurt and whimpered when her fingers grazed one particularly tender spot.

Finally Shannon looked up at Jethro and pulled the earbuds out of her ears.

"Well?"

"Well…one of us needs to go to the field and get Kelly," Shannon said softly. "Tony needs to go to the ER."

TBC…


	2. Tears and Town Meetings

****_Thanks as always to Gotgoats, my wonderful, fantastic, awesome, brilliant beta. _

**Author's Note:** Blame the cliffhanger on Gotgoats this time lol she told me to do it hahahahhahahaa

**Breaks and Repairs**  
><strong>Chapter 2: Tears and Town Meetings<strong>

It was a surprisingly quick visit to the emergency department at the hospital. Shannon worked there, and new a few of the nurses in the department, so they were able to be seen relatively quickly. The doctor on duty quickly determined that Tony was not seriously injured. There were no broken bones, no cuts in need of stitches. The nurses helped clean up some of the scrapes, the doctor checked Tony's head and eye for signs of further injury or concussion, but found none.

It was nearly dinner time when the Gibbses returned home. Tony went to lay on the couch, hugging an ice pack, and Kelly turned on a cartoon for them to watch together. Jethro and Shannon worked together to put a simple dinner together. As they cooked, they spoke quietly, each of them expressing the fear, horror, and rage that each was experiencing thanks to the events of the afternoon.

"We need to do something about this," Shannon said. "I'm getting to the point that I don't want to let the kids go outside without one of us. Jethro this is a federally protected neighborhood—they should be safe to walk to the end of the street—two houses away—to go to the field and play. They should be _safe_ to play in their own. front. yard," she growled.

Jethro nodded silently and continued chopping cucumbers for the salad. Shannon picked up a pan out of the cabinet and slammed it down on the cabinet. She picked up a pack of frozen green beans and slammed them on the counter. Then she stopped and put her hand on her hips, looking at her still quiet, still furious husband.

"It just pisses me off," she snapped, her voice getting louder. Jethro had watched as the flush of anger had continued to creep up Shannon's face throughout the day. Her entire neck and throat were red, and her cheeks were pink. Her forehead was now beginning to get splotchy and her eyes were flashing. Jethro couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her so angry. "All of those little bastards can go out and play in the neighborhood and have friends and do whatever the _hell _they want to, but if _our son_ goes outside to drive a goddamn car on _his_ _own_ _damn_ sidewalk, _he _gets beaten up—simply for being out of the house. It is absolutely unacceptable!" Shannon ranted, picking up a pair of kitchen scissors and slicing the bag of beans open.

Jethro nodded his agreement. He was too angry to speak. Those kids could have killed his son. Just because they were being stupid kids! They weren't really trying to do any damage—they seemed completely surprised that they may be hurting Tony seriously—they were just being bullies. And that had to stop. Bullying was not ok. It was not safe, and it never led to anything good. It needed to be stopped, and it needed to be stopped now, before the kids got bigger and things _really _got out of hand.

He wracked his brain, trying to think of the best way to handle the situation, when he realized Shannon had picked up the phone. The beans were simmering in the pan and the noodles she was making were boiling. Shannon was leaned against the counter, phone pressed to her ear, and she was ranting into the phone.

"Honestly Jewel they could have killed him," Shannon was saying. "Jethro said they were kicking him and punching him…" she listened for a moment, "Of course he didn't fight back! After everything he went through with his father, I think part of him believes he deserves it—he never fights back. He just takes it. And it's getting out of hand!"

Shannon listened another moment. "Scott's had that problem too?" Jethro knew Scott was Tony's favorite friend at preschool. He lived right down the street from them, so they all knew the same kids in the neighborhood.

The two mothers chatted for a few more minutes on the phone. Both were concerned, neither knew what to do. They hung up the phones with heavy hearts. All they wanted to do was protect their children, and there just didn't seem to be any way to do that.

xxx

The family ate quickly; they were all tired and hungry. Tony picked at his food, not really hungry, but knowing that he needed to eat a little bit to show Jethro and Shannon that he was alright. He knew they were worried about him, because they kept looking at him and giving him funny little smiles. Tony was tired though, and his head was hurting and he felt a bit like he might throw up. He told himself it was a headache like the ones he'd been having anyway. He didn't want to complain. He didn't want to be a bother.

After dinner, Tony went and laid back down on the couch. He put his hand over the ear not pressed into a pillow, and stared at the carpet instead of the television. Kelly was sitting on his feet, but he didn't mind. He kind of liked that, and he knew she would move if he asked her to. He'd almost dozed off, finally relaxing a bit and calming down after what had happened this afternoon. He knew everyone was angry about it, but he wasn't. He just didn't understand what he'd done that was so bad that those kids wanted to be mean to him. Honestly, he'd fix it if he knew what it was.

A firm knock on the door pulled Tony out of the light doze he'd managed to slip into. Jethro moved to the door, glancing at the kids with a wink. Tony's eyes widened when he saw who was standing at the door.

"Officer," Jethro said softly with a nod. "Thank you for coming. Please…come inside."

A tall MP stepped into the house and gave the children a gentle smile. "How you kids doing tonight," he said gently.

"I'm fine but Tony's got a headache," Kelly said matter-of-factly, barely tearing her gaze away from the television.

Jethro shut the door and stepped up behind the officer. "Kelly turn the television off for me? Just for a few minutes please." Kelly got up and immediately turned off the TV, as Shannon came in with Tony's pain medicine. She'd noticed during dinner that he'd rubbed the side of his head repeatedly, and his eyes looked a bit faraway. The way he hadn't eaten much, coupled with the way he'd gone immediately to lay on the couch as soon as dinner was finished, told her that her little boy was hurting, and after today—she wasn't surprised.

"Please," Shannon said, indicating the chair in the room that was still available, "Have a seat, Officer…?"

"Dobbs," the MP said. "Bryan Dobbs."

"It's nice to meet you," Shannon said. "Thank you for coming."

Tony was completely confused now. He didn't understand why the police officer was here. Had he done something wrong? Was he going to get into trouble? Were they going to take him away? His head pulsed and throbbed, aching and getting worse by the minute, despite the medicine. Tony looked pitifully up at Jethro as he approached.

Jethro smiled sadly and scooped Tony up, so he could sit down with the child resting in his lap.

Dobbs pulled out his notepad. "Hey…Tony? My name's Bryan," he said softly to the little boy. Tony's face was partially hidden in Jethro's shirt and Jethro ran one hand up and down one of Tony's arms. Tony peeked up at the big, burly military police officer and offered a tiny wave. "I'd like to ask you some questions," the MP said softly, his voice surprisingly gentle, given his massive size—he was much taller than Jethro.

"I-I's sorry," Tony whispered. "I's dunno what I's did…is you gonna takes me to jail?"

The MP shook his head. "Nope. You haven't done anything wrong! But I heard you got hurt a bit this afternoon." Tony nodded pitifully. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"You's gonna take those mean kids to jail?" Tony's eyes flared a little bit wider.

"I don't think so," Bryan said. "But I might go talk to their mommies and daddies and tell them what they did."

With Bryan's guidance, Tony began to relay the events of the afternoon; how he'd been playing in the front yard with his new toy car—"It drives super fast!"—and on to how the children had come up to him and spoke to him. He talked about how they said horribly mean things to him and called him a Dummy because he was wearing his helmet—"I's only wear it a cause a doctor tolded me I gotsa."

Bryan took notes, asked questions when he needed to, and it didn't take him long to get the story out of the little boy who was sadly not unfamiliar with speaking to law enforcement officials. He spoke to Jethro about what he saw when he turned around, and what he did about it. Jethro told him how he spoke to the children about violence not being ok, about how he thought it was ok to not like someone, but it was not ok to be mean to them because of it.

Once Jethro had told his story, Shannon took over, reporting to the officer what she'd noticed when she checked him out, and how they'd decided to take Tony to be checked out at the hospital. Bryan scribbled some more information down, and nodded his head. Once the entire story had been shared, Bryan took a moment to read back over his notes. Then he looked up at the family watching him.

"I think my question for you now…for all of you…is what would you like to see happen? Do you want to press charges?"

"I really don't think the kids realized how badly they were hurting him," Jethro said, looking sadly at the little boy in his lap. He looked to his wife. "I don't think pressing charges is necessary," he said. "But I think we need to get the message out that this is not ok."

"I will make a report that this happened. I will send you a copy, and a copy to each of the families involved. No charges will be filed, but if this happens again, and you want to report it again, then we can decide what to do."

"Do you have any suggestions for ways for us to handle this?" Shannon's voice was quiet and calm. Too calm. She was still very, very angry.

The officer thought for a moment. "Honestly? If it was my kid, in my neighborhood? I'd call a neighborhood meeting. And if they don't show up, go to the COs here on base and get 'em into the meeting that way. And then lay the law down. We can come too if you want, just to show you aren't screwing around," Bryan said seriously.

Jethro and Shannon nodded. They could do that. They would do whatever it took to keep the children in the neighborhood safe—even from themselves.

xxx

Over the next couple of days, letters began to arrive to the houses in the neighborhood with children. The parents of the children involved in bullying Tony received copies of the Military Police Report, a notice that charges were not being filed at this time, and a notice announcing a neighborhood meeting the following weekend. People in the neighborhood who did not have children, were given notice of the neighborhood meeting, requesting their attendance.

Scott's mother smiled when she got her letter, relieved that Shannon and Jethro lived in their neighborhood, relieved that she had someone who would support her claims that the children were being abused by other children in the neighborhood. Down the street, Pam St. James covered her mouth in horror, eyes widening in shock when she opened the innocuous looking envelope. She read the contents, one hand going to her chest, her head shaking in disbelief, before a loud, angry scream erupted from the young mother. Upstairs in his room, playing with his toy cars, Griffin St. James cringed. That sound usually meant he was in big. Trouble.

xxx

Communications Specialist, Corporal Tristan St. James was nearly asleep at his post. It was 3am, he was stuck on the night shift at the Iwakuni Marine Corps Airstation, and he really would rather be anywhere but where he was. He was on his second month of a nine month deployment. His family was still at Camp Pendleton waiting for his return. It was his second deployment in three years…nearly unheard of—especially since the country was not currently at war.

Most of the calls that came into his station were for superior officers, high ranking officials who talked to other high ranking officials sprinkled throughout the world. On this particular night though, he recognized the number that was ringing into the communication station.

It was his home number.

"I got this one," he called out. "That's my wife." Tristan hit the button to answer the call. "Good afternoon Mrs. St. James," his deep voice rumbled, the smile audible in his tone.

"Tristan," she whispered.

He quickly hit the button to make the call private. "Angel what's wrong?"

He listened as Pam began to speak…and his eyes widened at what he heard. This couldn't be right. Griffin? In trouble…the police had been contacted…he'd been a key player in one of the neighborhood kids being bullied and beaten? Sure, he'd tried to stop the kids, but he'd been the ones to tell them to do it in the first place?

"Honey are you sure?" His voice was almost a whisper, horror dripping from his tone.

"I'm sure," Pam whispered back. "The Gibbses…we talked about it earlier in the spring…right before you left. You remember Little Tony…he brought Griffin home the day that he broke his arm."

"The kid with the limp?"

"Yes," Pam whispered.

"You said they aren't pressing charges?"

"No…but they've documented this…if it happens again…"

Tristan took a deep breath. They'd taught their child better than this…but he'd been so angry for so long…could this be his way of acting out?

They talked for a long time, and when they finally ended the call, they had decided that Griffin would be taken to a counselor, he would be grounded for the whole summer, he would write letters of apology to Tony and to his parents, and this would be dealt with. They would not tolerate this.

Tristan ended the call, took a deep breath, and then picked the phone back up. He needed to call his friend Jethro Gibbs. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on back home. He needed to know what he was going to be returning to.

His deployment could not end soon enough.

xxx

Jethro and Shannon explained gently to Kelly and Tony that it was not safe to play in the field right now. They could not go outside to play in the yard unless a grown up was outside with them—on the same side of the house. They were not making the new rules to scare the children, but they had to do whatever was necessary to keep them safe.

Kelly tried to talk them out of it—after all, she'd never had trouble with being bullied before. She didn't know why the kids were mean to Tony, but she didn't understand why it also meant that she couldn't play outside now either. It was summer vacation! She wanted to go to the field! She wanted to run and ride her bike, romp and be free.

Tony did not complain. Honestly he really had no desire to go outside and play anymore. Once Jethro and Shannon explained the new rules, Tony had merely nodded, and then walked to his room. His head was hurting again…all of the fear and stress that he'd been feeling since he was attacked in his own yard, had left him feeling tired and headachey. He curled up on the bed, wrapped his arms around his middle, and closed his eyes, trying not to think about what was happening, trying to tell himself that it wasn't his fault.

He started to doze off and just as he started falling asleep felt Sasha jump up on the bed. He startled awake and his leg suddenly seized in a tight cramp. He sucked in a gasping breath and clutched his leg. Oh how he wished he could go a whole day without his leg hurting. Tony tried to straighten his leg out, but the muscle was knotted tightly where the bone had mended incorrectly, and he could just barely move it.

This was one of the worst leg cramps ever!

Tony felt tears fill his eyes and he raised his head up off the pillow, wondering if everyone was still downstairs, wondering if Kelly had talked Jethro and Shannon into letting her go outside to play yet. He knew one thing. He needed help.

Taking a deep breath, Tony did something that he had never done—not for as long as he could remember.

"JETHHRROO!"

xxx

Downstairs, Jethro had just settled at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Shannon had agreed to go outside with Kelly and work on some of her flowers while their daughter played in the yard. He picked up his cup and smelled it, smiling at the sensation and his mouth watered with anticipation of enjoying the cup of coffee.

When he heard Tony's scream he nearly dumped the cup all over himself. The cup was left on the table, forgotten, as Jethro raced upstairs to his little boy's side.

Jethro had never heard Tony scream like that—not even when he was having night terrors.

xxx

Jethro burst into the room and raced to Tony's side. Tears were streaming down the child's face as he wept out his pain, and the dog was hovering close by, licking his hand and his face.

"What's wrong Tony? What is it? Talk to me—talk to Daddy, tell me what it is!"

"Muh…muh…myyy…leh…leh…legggg…" he closed his eyes and cried harder.

Jethro ran a soothing hand over Tony's hair. "Ok, ok listen ok? I'm going to go get your medicine and the heat pad ok? I'll be right back and we'll fix you right up ok?"

Tony didn't answer, only continued to cry, and Jethro ran as fast as his legs would carry him. A few moments later, he was back at his child's side, watching sadly as the little boy tried to stop crying long enough to suck down the medicine.

"Eeeeasy," he murmured, rubbing Tony's calf gently. "Take it easy…try to slow your breathing down…"

Tony finally managed to get most of the medicine taken, though some of it was lost in sputters and bubbles mixed with his tears. Jethro had the heat pad plugged in and it was getting warm. Jethro was sitting beside Tony on the bed, rubbing the child's leg firmly—like the doctor had shown them how to do—in hopes that he would be able to ease the muscle contraction.

After a few minutes, Tony was still crying, and the muscle wasn't letting go like it normally would have started to do by now. Jethro stood up from his seat. "I'm gonna go get your cream ok? Back in a flash," he raced out of the bedroom to the upstairs bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the small tube of muscle rub with a topical pain killer and added menthol…prescribed by Dr. Trexler, and hopefully able to provide enough relief for the muscle cramp to pass.

Returning to Tony's side, Jethro pushed Tony's shorts up higher, exposing more of the child's contorted thigh and he squirted some of the cream onto his fingers. "Here we go," Jethro said softly. "Gonna be cold ok? It'll feel better after I rub it in some though."

Tony whimpered when the cool cream touched his leg, but didn't flinch away or protest. He merely closed his eyes, continued his soft crying, and endured his plight.

Jethro couldn't help but smile as Tony shifted so that his head rested on Jethro's leg, while his new daddy rubbed the soothing cream into his poor little leg. "Does that feel a little bit better now?" Jethro asked softly.

Tony nodded. "I's sorry," he whispered, realizing he'd yelled for Jethro. "You's was busy an' I's being a—"

"No Tony," Jethro said. "I was just sitting in the kitchen. I wasn't doing anything important—and you were not being a bother."

"How you's know I was gonna say that?" Tony said, rolling to his back and staring up at Jethro.

Jethro smiled and touched the tip of Tony's nose. "I know because I know you," he said. "Now," he carefully put the heating pad on Tony's leg. "How's about we read us a story while we wait for that leg to stop hurting?"

Tony nodded and slid over a bit so there was room for Jethro to join him. Jethro picked up the story book that they'd been reading out of—a compilation of stories all in one book—and opened it to the one they'd left off at the night before. He started reading and it wasn't long before Tony was snoring softly beside him, completely relaxed and now pain free thanks to the medicine and the distraction provided by his daddy.

Jethro grabbed the lightweight fleece throw and pulled it up over Tony, carefully moving the heating pad off of his leg so that it wouldn't burn him, and he ran a hand through his child's hair. "I love you," he whispered in his ear. Tony rolled over on his side and threw an arm across Jethro's legs, his face was buried into Jethro's hip. Jethro smiled and rubbed the child's back and quietly continued to read.

xxx

Saturday morning the Base Commander, Colonel Markson, had arrived at the designated meeting spot early to make sure everything was ready. The MPs had been advised of the situation and were beginning to gather as well—both to show support of the children and families who were being victimized by the neighborhood bullies, as well as to keep the peace if the need should arise. Markson nodded to the lead officer presiding over the MPs.

"Gonna keep this nice and peaceful today," Markson told him.

"Do you really think that it might get out of hand?" Officer Phillips was unsure of how the day would play out.

"I think that people get passionate where their children are involved," the Colonel said. Phillips nodded.

The meeting was scheduled for 11am and around 10:45 people really began to show up. There was a clear line of distinction—immediately noticeable between the parents of the bullies, and the parents of the children who were being abused by their peers. The children were similarly divided, and Markson found himself wondering how this problem had gotten so big and out of hand, that there were police reports being filed, and children nearly being killed in their own front yards.

"Let's get this meeting going," Markson said, right at 11am. He'd seen the Gibbs family come in, with their daughter and the little boy they'd recently adopted. The child was holding his daddy's hand, limping badly, and his face was twisted into a mixture of determination, fear, and pain. Markson wondered if the limping was because of what some of these children had done to him in his own front yard. He shuddered at the thought of violence happening in these children—these were sweet innocent children—why were they hurting each other?

Markson stepped up to the front of the group. Parents and children alike were sitting, staring at their Commander, waiting to hear what he would say. The Commander had decided to get involved himself once he'd heard from one of the other high ranking officers on base that one of the Gunnery Sergeants was having some trouble with his child being bullied. It was the responsibility of the Marine Corps to keep these families safe while their Marines protected the country. These children would be kept safe under his watch—even if he had to inflict severe punishments to do it.

"In case anyone is unclear about the reason we are here," Markson spoke loudly, not using a microphone, "We are here, because our base is in the middle of a crisis."

There was a rumbling murmur through the group and the Colonel held up his hand to silence them. "The crisis we are facing is not a threat from abroad. It is not a threat of illness or warfare of any kind. It is a threat of violence—violence toward our children."

The murmur rumbled again, and this time the Commander let it go for a moment before holding up his hand to silence them again. "We all know, that children, being children, will sometimes say and do things that are inappropriate. We have all been on the giving and receiving end of that," he smiled. "But what we are facing here," he continued, his smile fading, "is the issue of bullying on our base. There are children who live here—not by choice, but because this is where Marine families stationed here are placed—who are being brutally terrorized. And they are being terrorized by their peers."

Markson met Jethro's eyes. He did not smile, and Jethro did not react, but the silent plea from the Gunny was clear. _Do whatever is necessary to keep my family safe or I'm gone—because leaving will keep them safe._

Markson scanned his eyes over the group. "Children with parents in the military have a special task—they have their own way of serving their country. They have to be able to move around—sometimes frequently—be bounced from base to base, experience the loss of one or both parents from time to time due to deployments…and sometimes children have to make the ultimate sacrifice when they lose a parent. None of this is easy for them—and everyone is aware of that. And sometimes children feel the need for an outlet—perhaps sports, perhaps being fidgety or wiggly in class, perhaps making bad grades. Maybe they want to sleep all day on the weekends, and maybe they want to break things. All very normal, very diverse behaviors. But what we cannot tolerate—what we _will not tolerate_—is bullying. This base will not stand for children being hurt by their peers, simply because they are not perceived by another group of children to be as smart, funny, or able bodied—" Markson glanced at Tony, "—as other children might be."

Sammy's mother stood up. "May I say something?" she asked. Sammy was the child who'd instigated the attack on Tony in the yard.

Markson nodded. "Go ahead," he said.

Sammy's mother, Bianca, was a short, wafer thin woman with blond hair and a tight smile. Her features were stern looking, simply by genetic default. She stared with disdain at the families who were causing her so much grief now. This meeting was a waste of her time—she hadn't been given the option to skip the meeting because her son had been named in that police report that the Gibbses had filed. Sgt. Gibbs was nothing but a troublemaker anyway. He'd caused her husband nothing but grief since he'd been assigned to Gibbs' unit.

"I could be mistaken," she said disdainfully, turning to look at the Gibbs family, "but last time I checked, we live in the United States of America. And as citizens of the United States we are given the right to express ourselves, are we not?" she turned an accusing eye to the Base Commander.

Markson spoke up. "As Americans we are granted multiple rights under the law. However, in enforcing our own rights, we are not permitted to infringe on the rights of others. And as far as I am concerned, these children are granted the right to live safely and free of fear—and that should be everyone's primary concern—the safety of our children."

"We were not even given the opportunity to defend ourselves," Sammy's mother snapped. "We were simply mailed a copy of this stupid police report," she waved it in the air for effect, "stating that several named children were _allegedly_ beating up another kid in the neighborhood. No one even asked us if it was true or not!"

"Well I will ask you now then," Markson said with a narrowed gaze. "Did you see what happened that day?"

"Yes I did," the woman snapped, crossing her arms defensively. "Those kids were down at the playground and my little Sammy and his friends were just riding their bikes around and minding their own business. The kid who screamed bully here," she pointed at Tony now, "_Little Tony DiNozzo_, was throwing dirt at my Sammy and trying to get his dog to bite them. We should punish _him_, and have that damn dog put down!"

Tony's eyes widened in fear and he looked up at Jethro from where he sat in his new daddy's lap. "No," he whispered. "Not Sasha…she's didn't hurt anybody!" His fears were for his dog…he'd figured this was somehow his fault and he'd need to be punished for getting everyone into so much trouble, but the thought of taking his dog—his Sasha—his best friend away…tears welled up in the little boy's eyes. "Please don't let them have Sasha," he pleaded softly.

Shannon Gibbs had heard enough. She stood up, her eyes flashing with anger. "Ok that's enough," she said. She looked at Sammy's mother. She'd met Bianca on several occasions and the two had never hit it off. Shannon and Jethro had both groaned when Joe, Sammy's father, had been moved to Jethro's unit. He'd been moved there because his behavior had been unbecoming of a good Marine, and he needed straightening out. There had been several accusations of hazing and it had become Jethro Gibbs' job to put a stop to it.

"If you had taken the time to read the police report that we filed," Shannon said in an icy tone, "which you obviously did _not,_ then you would not be making such an ass of yourself by telling these lies. The incident that we reported did not happen at the playground. The incident we reported happened in our _own. front. yard. _ The incident we reported was your child coming onto _our_ property, and attacking _our_ _son_."

Shannon motioned to the little boy sitting in her husband's lap. He was trembling in fear, tears were streaming down his face, and the helmet was securely strapped to his head.

"Do you know why he wears that helmet? The helmet that _your son_ makes fun of him for? He wears it because he is missing _bones_ in his _face_, because he was shot. With a gun. With a bullet. That helmet saved his life when _your son_ kicked him in his head. Your little boy nearly killed my little boy. And that is _not_ acceptable."

Bianca sniffed, and her nose turned up into a sneer. "Do you have anybody who saw that happen?"

"Yeah," Jethro said, standing up. "Me."

"And me," came another voice. The Gibbses turned to see Maddie Tyler's mother, Myra stand up. The Tylers' lived next door to the Gibbses. "We heard screaming…Could hear Sasha barking. I looked out the window and saw Sammy and the other kids kicking and hitting Little Tony. Jethro was there before we could get outside to help him," Myra said. She looked around. "And it isn't the first time that it's happened. Maddie has come home with bumps and bruises because she's been pushed down, or slapped, or punched or kicked. It's been Sammy or one of his buddies every time, but her injuries have never been life threatening, so we didn't report it."

Myra's face darkened into a snarl at Bianca. "I wish we had though. I'd love to see your _little_ _shit_ rot in juvie. He's an animal. He isn't fit to be around other children. I'm tired of our kids being hurt."

TBC…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> At this point…the story has already taken on a life of its own. Obviously this is something the characters felt we needed to work out hehehehehe Who the heck knows what'll happen next lol...


	3. Doctor Magic

**Author's Note:** In an attempt to reclaim control over my own story…beware the cliffhanger. *evil grin*

_Thanks as always to GotGoats for her amazing job as my beta. These days that's kind of a full time job—I'm doing lots of writing! You rock babe! xoxoxoxoxo_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 3: Doctor Magic**

"I've seen the bullying too," came a smaller, meeker voice. Faces turned to see Scott's mother, Jewel, standing up. "We always cut the kids so much slack—we don't want to be too hard on any of them, because we know how hard it can be to be a child in the military," she said softly. "I always tried to justify why Scott would come home beaten up…even before Little Tony Gibbs came to the neighborhood." Jewel sniffed and began to cry softly. "Scott would tell me about being scared to go play…being scared to walk to the playground by himself…I thought he was just being a little kid…I went with him a few times, and when nothing happened…he decided it'd be safe for him to go alone. It's just three houses down…it's at the end of the street…we all live on the same street."

Jewel looked at Bianca and her gaze hardened. "Scott nearly had a broken arm one day," she said. "And it was because Sammy was twisting his arm. And he was twisting his arm because he thought it was funny to hear him scream."

Shannon chimed in again. "We're all entitled to raise our children in the way we see fit," she said. "But when the children are purposefully injuring one another…we're their parents. We have to make them stop."

Pam St. James stood up. She'd heard enough. Bianca was one of her closest friends but…Tony was a nice kid…she'd spoken a couple of times with Tristan about it…they both agreed…they needed to do what is right here.

"Can I jump in?" Her voice was soft, but lined with steel and Jethro narrowed his eyes when he recognized her. He'd already sat back down with Tony in his lap and the child was clinging to him now. Jethro ran a hand up and down Tony's back, feeling the tension there. He was interested to hear what Griffin's mother would say.

"Thank God," Bianca snapped. "Finally someone is going to speak up and help me defend our children's rights."

"Bianca," Pam said firmly, but affectionately. "You're out of line. You need to accept that your child is causing trouble. Griffin has been causing trouble too. And now you need to sit down. It's enough." Bianca slightly resembled a fish…and she dropped listlessly into her seat, wondering what the hell had just happened.

Pam looked at the others. "We do all have the right to raise our own children, just like Shannon said," she began softly. "And I will fight for that right any day of the week. But it is not our right to let our children be hurt. It is our duty to protect them. All of them. We are all responsible for the safety of all of our children. And if we are the parents of the children who have been hurting the others, then we need to step up and be good parents and do whatever is necessary to make this stop."

She fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "Little Tony is a good kid," she said. "He doesn't deserve the treatment that he's gotten. And I know that in the past my son has been the ring leader of the bullying." She glared down at Griffin, who shrank a bit in his seat. "But this time he was smart, and he remembered that Tony helped him when he broke his arm. Tony helped him when the other kids all laughed at him and called him a crybaby because his arm was broken. And this time he stood up for Tony. Yes, he should be punished for what he's done in the past. And he will be. Griffin is grounded for the entire summer. I have spoken with his father about it, and we agreed that the playground will be off limits for him until after Labor Day. During that time, Griffin is going to see a counselor two times a week. He obviously has something going on that we were not aware of—it could be the frequent moves we've made over the past couple of years, or it could be something else entirely. But we are going to get him the help he needs."

Pam took a deep breath and she looked at Shannon, who nodded. "My Griffin is a good boy—and we are going to help him. When children act this way they are crying out for help, attention…something. We have to look at the facts. We have to see that there are children who are being hurt. And they're being hurt by our children. And if we don't do anything to stop it, then we might as well be the ones out there kicking and punching these kids, and twisting their arms. Because by us not doing anything, we are teaching the kids that it's ok. And it's not ok. It's not. ok."

Colonel Markson cleared his throat. "Ok," he said, "ok everybody sit back down."

There was a rustle as the standing parents sat and everyone shifted their attention back to the base commander. Once it was quiet he continued.

"I understand there is some debate over the bullying, over the cause of it, over the reasons to justify it," he said diplomatically. "But here are my orders. This base will recognize a no tolerance policy for bullying, as of this moment. Parents who are Marines, if you cannot control your children and get them the help that they need to overcome whatever is causing them to want to bully others, then you will be subject to disciplinary action for creating a hazardous environment. Any Marine who has a child who is bullying others will be immediately demoted. Those are cuts in honor and cuts in pay folks."

Markson looked at the Marines sprinkled throughout the crowd whose faces blanched in horror. He smiled darkly. "Also, any family with a child who is bullying others _for any reason, _will be moved out of base housing, effective immediately. This base will be a safe zone for children. Now. Children will be children. There will be disagreements. There will be groups of friends, and some will like each other, and others won't. But there will not be hate inspired attacks unleashed on any child on this base, or the entire family will move. Let me repeat. Any family who has a child who is reported for bullying, will be moved off base immediately."

A loud murmur raced through the group—some of the parents expressing admiration, gratitude, and agreement with the base commander's orders, and others expressing anger at rights being stifled, parenting practices being dictated, and contradiction with the base commander's orders. It was truly a divided group. Truly a divided neighborhood.

As the meeting ended, Markson looked at Phillips who looked mildly shell-shocked. Neither could believe the venom spewed here today. Neither could believe the hatred they'd seen—how had it been right under their noses for so long and they missed it? One thing though, they both knew for certain.

These Marine Mommas took their babies _very _seriously.

xxx

When they arrived back at home, Jethro kissed his wife. "I love you," he said, softly enough that the kids couldn't hear him. "You're so brave, and it is sexy as hell the way you stand up for our kids."

She smiled and kissed him back. "That woman just made me so angry…I know we were going to try to be quiet, but I just…" she shrugged. "I couldn't help myself."

Jethro smiled, his eyes dancing. "You're like a Tigress! A Momma Grizzly! You are fearless!"

"Have to be," she said softly. "We have a little angel in there who is afraid of his own shadow."

Jethro smiled and kissed her again. "Too true," he said softly. "Too true."

xxx

While their parents had gone straight to the kitchen once they'd arrived back at home, Kelly and Tony had stayed in the living room.

"Hey Tony you wanna go to the playground with me this afternoon," Kelly said.

Tony looked at her, head tilted to one side, obviously confused. "But how? We's a can't go without Jethro or Shannon?"

"Sure we can—now that Mommy and Daddy caught the bullies and called 'em out they won't mess with us anymore! We can go back to the playground! So do you want to come?"

Tony thought about it. He really didn't feel good. His leg was still sore from the bad cramp he'd had in the night last night. "Uh…no I's thinking I's gonna stay here."

"Are you afraid to go? You shouldn't be afraid—you should be brave Tony—go to the playground even though those kids might be there."

Kelly's voice held a bit of a haughtiness to it, that Tony usually only heard when she really wanted to do things her way. She wasn't being mean…she was just being…well…Kelly.

"No Kelly," Tony said. "I's don't wants to go. A sides," he said, "I can't run good…I's no fun atta playground anyways."

Kelly stopped, her mouth open halfway, ready to voice her argument for why he absolutely should come with her, but she froze when she heard his quiet words. Tony sounded tired…he sounded…ashamed?

She sat down next to her brother and put an arm around his shoulders. "Does going to the playground make your leg hurt?" her voice was much softer now.

Tony nodded. "Sometimes," he said softly. "I's sorry…I's wanna be a brother you can play with…but I…it hurts," Tony whispered.

Kelly whacked him on the back of his helmet. "You're soooo craaaazy sometimes," she said, making a silly face at him. "You silly, I play with you all the time!"

"But I's know you's wants a brother you can chase around and ride bikes with," Tony said with a sad shrug. "I's can't."

Kelly shook her head. "You don't have to ride bikes with me or any of that stuff," she said firmly. "You're the best baby brother I coulda ever got!"

Tony narrowed his eyes, but a grin tugged at his little lips. "I's…not…a…baby," he grumbled good naturedly.

Kelly rolled her eyes good naturedly. "You keep saying that," she said sweetly. "But you'll always be my baby brother. Come on, let's play." She held out her hand for him.

He took her hand, snorting in disgust at being called a baby _again_ and got down in the floor while she found the lego blocks.

xxx

Jethro was finally kicked out of the kitchen for being too distracting while Shannon was making lunch. He headed for the living room to see what his (too quiet) children were up to and stopped when he got to the doorway. He stood still and watched them for several minutes before speaking up and making his presence known.

"Whatcha doin," he asked conversationally, dropping to his knees beside his children, who were playing in the floor with the legos. An intricate construction was being crafted and looked like it was slowly wrapping itself around Tony's bad leg.

"Building," Kelly said.

Jethro smiled and shook his head, chuckling softly. "I got that," he said. "I'm wondering what you're building," he said gently.

Kelly looked at him as though he'd grown another head. "Daddy," she said seriously. "I think it's easy to see what we are building."

In all honesty, it looked like Kelly was doing most of the work. Tony looked like he was working hard to hold his leg still.

"You doing okay Tony?" Jethro looked at him carefully, gauging his reactions and his words.

"I's okay," he said with a firm nod. "We's building something special. Something magic."

"Something magic? What sort of magic?"

"Doctor magic," Kelly said.

Shannon was hovering in the doorway, a hand over her mouth as she watched her husband and children. Lunch was ready but she wouldn't interrupt them yet. She wanted to hear this out.

"What does doctor magic do?" Jethro asked.

Kelly looked at him, her expression bordering on impatience. Sometimes Daddy was so clueless. "It makes you better," she said, as if he should have known that.

"And what is it you're building?"

"A cast," Kelly said. "Tony's leg needs fixing, Daddy."

"I know, Baby Girl," Jethro agreed. "Dr. Trexler is going to fix it for him, remember?"

"He isn't fixing it fast enough!"

Tony remained quiet, staring at the lego block construction that was circling his legs. He knew that it was pretend, knew that these blocks were not going to make his leg better, but he tried to picture what the cast would look like after Dr. Trexler fixed his leg. Kelly continued snapping the blocks together, and the four Gibbses watched as Tony's leg was slowly covered in brightly colored plastic blocks.

"What have we got here," Shannon said with a smile as she entered the room.

"Look Mommy I made Tony a magic cast for his leg so it won't hurt anymore."

"I see that! Tony how does it make your leg feel?"

"Kinda hard to move it," Tony said, wiggling his foot a bit. The block creation shifted. "Oops," he said with a giggle. "I almost broked it!"

"Tony you know when Dr. Trexler fixes your leg next month, you'll probably be in a big cast for a few weeks," Shannon said. She felt like it was very important that he understand this. "You won't be able to walk on it. You'll have to ride around in a wheelchair some too."

Tony was quiet and still for a few long moments. Then he looked up and smiled. "I's gonna wear my helmets too?"

"Yes, you'll need it for a few days after your surgery to protect your eye while it heals," Shannon said.

Tony grinned. "I's haves a helmet and I's have a chair with wheels? I's drive fast! Like a racin' car!"

The family all chuckled at their little boy's antics. It was a happy time for them…they were together…there was no danger…things were peaceful.

xxx

Three families ended up being moved off base in the days immediately following the neighborhood meeting. Three Marines found themselves demoted—one even found himself demoted two ranks because of his failure to adhere to the Base Commander's orders.

Tony watched with a mixture of anxiety and sadness as moving van after moving van, and pickup truck after pickup truck drove families out of the base housing division, never to live there again. He couldn't help but feel like he was somehow at fault for it…but he hadn't been hurt this time.

Some of the bullies had gone after a couple of the other kids in the neighborhood. Maddie Tyler, who was Kelly's best friend and lived next door, had been grabbed up by a couple of the kids when she went outside to get the mail. She was now sporting a skinned elbow and a black eye.

Scott, Tony's best friend who lived three doors down, had gone outside looking for his cat and had been jumped by a couple of the bigger boys. He had a nasty bruise on his tummy that looked like a kid's foot, and they'd knocked out two of his teeth. Scott didn't complain about that too much though, because they were his baby teeth still and the Tooth Fairy brought him ten dollars for the two teeth he lost—since he'd been so brave, and had been hurt.

The rest of the children thought better of being bullies anymore. Their parents were getting into trouble, they were having to leave their houses and the playground and their friends. For the time being, it seemed as though the bullying problem was tapering off.

It might finally be safe to let the children go out to play again.

xxx

Tony woke in the middle of the night to Sasha pawing at him. He blinked slowly and ran a hand over his eyes. What did silly old Sasha want? It was dark outside! It was even too dark for Jethro to be awake!

"Go sleep Sasha," Tony said, rolling over with some difficulty. His leg was hurting.

A moment later Sasha was pawing at him again, and whining softly. Tony sat up slowly in bed. He scowled at his dog. "What do you wantttt," he hissed, rubbing his good eye with a cupped hand.

Sasha hopped down off the bed and ran to the door then hopped back up on the bed and wagged her tail and licked Tony's face. Then she hopped off the bed again and ran to the door. Tony remembered Jethro telling him that when Sasha did that it meant she needed to go outside to go potty.

The child slid out of bed and took a moment to get his balance. He stepped quietly over to his bedroom door and opened it softly. The hall light was on—as usual—and if he listened closely he could hear Shannon and Jethro breathing loud, sleepy breaths, down the hall in their room. Kelly's door was closed.

Sasha had run halfway down the stairs and was looking back over her shoulder as if to say "_Come on! Hurry up!"_ So Tony started walking towards the stairs as quietly as he could. He didn't want to wake anybody up—he'd heard Jethro yawning while they were reading stories at bedtime, and Shannon had said after dinner how sleepy she was. He didn't want them to be tired, or have to wake up earlier than they had to…he was a big boy, he could let Sasha go outside and do her business and come back in.

His leg wobbled once while he was walking down the stairs, and he groaned softly when it hurt, but still pressed on. About three steps from the bottom, he realized he'd left his helmet sitting on the floor next to his bed and bit his lower lip nervously. Well he would just have to be super careful and not fall down. He moved quietly through the first floor of the house, listening intently to see if he could hear anybody waking up.

There was the hook on the top of the front door that Jethro put there to keep Tony and Kelly from running out into the yard without letting someone know. But the back kitchen door was tricky to open and difficult to unlock, so Jethro figured that would be enough to deter the children to use that door. Now Tony stood at the kitchen door, staring at the lock, trying to remember which was he was supposed to turn it to make it unlock.

With a loud click the door unlocked finally and Tony smiled. Sasha whimpered just a bit and did the little puppy dance on the floor, excited to almost be outside.

"Sasha you gotsa be quiet," Tony said. "I know you gotsa go potty but you gotsa be quiet."

The storm door was a standard spring-loaded door, metal at the bottom with a screen and glass (in the winter) at the top. Tony fumbled with the lock for only a moment before finally catching it and releasing the latch, swinging the door open. Sasha raced outside and, because there were no lights on outside, she quickly disappeared in the dark night.

Tony stood in the lit kitchen for a moment, wondering where Sasha had run off to. With the light of the kitchen shining behind him, it made it impossible for him to see out into the dark night. When he didn't see her after a long moment, he decided he should go out on the porch and look for her. It was raining hard tonight, so Tony was trying hard to stay on the top step. It was covered by the roof awning, and was the only dry step of the four down to the yard.

"Sasha?" Tony looked around the dark night, becoming worried when he didn't see his dog. Had she run away?

"Sasha you gotsa come back in now," Tony said softly, his voice beginning to wobble with a tinge of fear.

Thunder rumbled and it began to rain harder. Tony took a deep breath and stepped down another step. His feet felt the cool damp concrete under them, and an occasional raindrop landed on the top of his head. He was scared about where Sasha had gone…what if someone grabbed her? What if she ran away? What if she was hurt?

Tony was about to venture down another step when suddenly, out of nowhere, Sasha came barreling back up the steps—hyper from relief and from the rain. There wasn't enough time to react…no time to move out of the way…and Tony let out a short gasp of fear as the dog unintentionally knocked him off balance.

Tony's leg wobbled, and because he was already off balance, he felt himself begin to fall. He yelped in fear, hands scrabbling to get hold of the rail, but it was slick with the rain and he couldn't get a grip on it. He closed his eyes as he felt himself fall more…he didn't think he wanted to watch what was coming next.

Tony's leg popped suddenly and a whine of pain escaped his lips. Sasha was back at the door, waiting for her boy to let her in. Tony fell hard, his body tumbling to the bottom of the steps. His head bounced off the bottom step and when he blinked his eyes open, everything was blurry and he suddenly felt horribly sleepy. He took a deep breath, tried hard not to move, and let his eyes close. His leg was throbbing, and burning, and fizzing…he knew it was broken…he'd felt it before. His sides hurt, his back hurt, his head hurt…everything hurt. And now he was lying on the ground—the wet, rain covered ground…he thought he should get up and go back inside…he should scream…call out for Jethro…or Shannon…or Kelly…or…anybody…but he was so sleepy, so heavy and tired feeling. The last thought he had before awareness finally faded completely, was that Jethro…was going to be…so…mad at him.

TBC…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> *ducks and runs away from screaming readers* Just remember if you kill me you'll never know what happens next! Hehehehehehehee


	4. Got Your Six

**Author's Note:** Fast update as promised! And *dies of shock a little* this chapter…does NOT have a cliffhanger. At least in my opinion hehehee

_Thanks as always to Gotgoats for all your help with this story. You. ARE. A MAY ZING!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 4: Got Your Six**

Jethro's eyes clicked open. He'd heard a noise. He stayed still, listening for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. He put a hand over his stomach. His gut was churning. Sitting up in bed, he ran a hand over his short hair and rubbed his eyes.

Shannon stirred next to him and opened one eye. "What're doin?" she mumbled sleepily. "Timeisit?"

Jethro glanced at the clock. Just after 4am. "It's early Sweetheart," he whispered. "You should go back to sleep."

"You should too Gunny," she said. She pulled on his arm, trying to get him to lay back down, but he refused to budge.

"Something's up," Jethro whispered in the darkness. "Gut's churning." Shannon looked at him, concerned. "I'm going to go check on the kids."

"Is it raining yet?" Shannon asked. They'd heard on the news that it was supposed to start raining sometime during the night.

Jethro stood up and moved to the window overlooking their front yard. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah it looks like it's been raining for a while. Everything's really wet."

Shannon hummed and snuggled down a little deeper under the blankets. Jethro opened the door and stepped out into the hall. His eyes widened when he realized Tony's door was open. He thought maybe the little boy was going to the bathroom or something, so he stopped by the bathroom on his way to Tony's room, but the light was off and the room was empty. Frowning slightly, Jethro stepped further down the hall to Tony's room.

Shannon had just drifted back off to sleep when she heard Jethro scream her name. She was on her feet in an instant and halfway across the room before her brain caught up.

"Jethro," she hissed down the hall. "What is it? You're going to wake up the—"

Jethro burst of Tony's room and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "He's gone Shannon. Tony is gone."

"Gone?" She looked in his room, and her eyes widened. The bed was rumpled, there was no sign of any injury or problem, and his helmet still laid on the floor beside the bed. That meant wherever Tony was…

"Is he in the bathroom?" Shannon asked, her eyes widening.

"No I already checked there!" Jethro quietly poked his head in Kelly's room, satisfied that she was still sleeping. He closed the door and looked back at Shannon. "He's not in here," he whispered.

"He's not in the closets either," Shannon said, shutting the hall closet door. "I checked his closet too."

"I guess that means he went downstairs," Jethro said starting down towards the first floor. Then a thought struck him and he looked at Shannon with horror. "Wait…where's the dog?"

"Oh Jethro," Shannon breathed. Together they raced down the stairs, Jethro moving only slightly faster than his wife. They barely spared a glance in the living room as they raced towards the back door—the only door in the house that Tony would have been able to open.

Shannon squeaked when she saw the kitchen door was open. Jethro burst out the backdoor and stopped so suddenly that Shannon bumped right into him.

"Ohmygod," Jethro whispered.

"I'll call an ambulance," Shannon said, rushing back inside.

Tony was lying on the ground. It looked like he'd fallen down the steps…his leg was at a horrible angle, and there was a scrape on his forehead. His eyes were closed and his clothes were completely sodden with rain. His skin was pale and next to him, Sasha was curled up close, trying to keep her boy warm. It looked like maybe he'd fallen and then tried to move—the angle that he was lying in was awkward.

"Tony? Tony can you hear me? Wake up Tony," Jethro said, all but jumping the steps. He dropped to his knees next to Tony in the grass and ran a hand over Tony's forehead, through his hair and began slapping his face lightly, trying to get him to wake up.

"Wake up son…come on Tony snap out of it. Wake up," Jethro said, shaking his son's shoulder. He was rewarded by Tony's fluttering eyelids. He blinked himself awake slowly, and raised a slow hand to his head.

"Jethro?"

"Yes, yes it's ok, shhhh it's ok Daddy's here baby," Jethro said, kneeling close to his child, trying to shield him from the rain.

Tony stared up at him. "Hurts," he whimpered.

"What hurts Tony? Stay awake," Jethro said when Tony's eyes slid shut. "Stay awake and talk to me. Tell me where it hurts."

"Leg…" Tony said, his voice faint. "Head hurts…all…all my stuff hurts…Jethro I…I's sorry," Tony whispered.

"What happened son?" Jethro shook his shoulder again when his eyes closed. "Wake up and talk to me."

"I's…c-cold," Tony whispered.

"Shannon bring a blanket!" Jethro yelled. Shannon looked out the door, cordless phone in her hand and nodded before disappearing.

"What happened to you Tony?" Jethro asked again.

"I's…I's sleepin'…Sasha…needed a go potty," Tony said softly. "I's a membered how's Shannon say she was sleepy and I's heared you yawning…I's knowed…you's was…sleepin…Sasha needed a go potty," Tony murmured.

"So did you let Sasha outside Tony?" Jethro asked, shaking his shoulder again. Oh God, he had to figure out a way to keep his boy awake. This couldn't be happening…not again…Tony couldn't have another concussion. Not so soon after…

Tony nodded slowly. "She's runned outside…I stayed inna kitchen…but I's couldn't see her…She's got lost I think…I walked to a steps a look for her…" he blinked and looked a bit more aware. "She runned back up a steps and bumped my onna assident and I's started a fall…I's tried a stop," Tony said softly.

Jethro pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead. "You're going to be ok," he said firmly. He smiled at his little boy—his sweet little boy who was lying out here in the rain, hurting, because he hadn't wanted to wake his tired parents up. "Do you know what time it was when you came outside?"

Tony was quiet for a moment. "A clock onna mike-row-wave say three four nine when I looked at it," Tony said.

Jethro nodded. Well that was a relief—at least Tony hadn't been out in the rain for a very long time.

The back door slammed and Shannon rushed up with a blanket. "How is he," Shannon asked Jethro, her tone all business—she was in full-fledged nurse mode.

"He's ok," Jethro said. "He's awake and telling me what happened."

Shannon smiled at him. "Tony what are you doing outside? Why would you come outside at night like this by yourself?"

Tony's eyes filled with tears and Jethro put a gentle hand on her arm to stop her before Tony got too upset. "He said Sasha needed to go potty, and he knew we were tired, and didn't want to have to wake us up. But when Sasha ran outside he couldn't see her. He went out to look for her and she ran back up the steps and bumped him accidentally."

"Did you hit your head Tony?" Shannon asked. She could see the small scrape on Tony's forehead, but it was thankfully on the side opposite where the gunshot had been.

Tony nodded, "Not really hard," he said softly. "My leg hurting."

"Your leg's hurting?" Shannon looked at it. With the angle it was lying in there was no denying that—

"My leg broked," Tony said matter-of-factly.

It made his parents sad to know that their child could tell without an x-ray when his leg was broken—that he'd had that pain in his life so often that he could easily recognize it.

Shannon looked at it and then looked back at Tony's face. "Yeah," she said softly. "Yeah it seems to be."

A sound at the back gate had Jethro on his guard, but this time Shannon put a hand on his arm to stop him. "I called Myra," she said. "She's going to come sit with Kelly."

Myra Tyler came over and smiled down at Tony. "Hi Sweetie," she said. "Looks like you took a bit of a tumble."

"I falled down a steps," Tony said.

"Well I'm sure that you'll get to the doctor and they'll be able to fix you right up."

Tony blinked and looked at Jethro. "Why I gotta go to a doctor?"

Jethro blinked, trying to understand the question. "Because your leg looks like it's broken Tony…and you said you bumped your head a little bit…and you've been laying out here in the rain. We just need to get you checked out and make sure you are ok."

"But I's never had a go a doctor a fore when I broked my leg," Tony said softly, genuinely confused by this new turn of events.

Myra gasped and covered her mouth. Shannon stood up and put an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Come on, let's go inside and I'll show you where everything is," she said gently. Sometimes in Tony's innocence he could speak of things that had happened to him in such a nonplussed, matter-of-fact way that it could, at times, be quite disturbing.

Tony watched them go inside and then looked at Jethro. "Did I do bad?" he whispered.

"No baby. No not at all."

"I's sorry I's falled," Tony said.

Jethro leaned down and snuggled Tony close. "I'm sorry you fell too," he said gently. "I think next time you should come wake up me or Mommy if Sasha needs to go potty at night ok?"

"But you's was tired," Tony said. "I wanted you's a be able a sleep."

Jethro kissed his forehead. "And Mommy and I really appreciate that," he told his little boy. "But it's not working out is it?"

Tony shook his head. "I's a screw up," he said mournfully. He shivered. Jethro stretched out on the grass next to his child and tried to share as much of his body heat as he could.

"You are not a screw up," Jethro said firmly. "I want you to quit talking badly about yourself. You're a good boy, and a smart one. But sometimes even good, smart people make mistakes."

Tony shifted a little bit closer to Jethro and whimpered when his leg moved. "I hope a doctor can fix my leg," Tony said softly. "I's don't like it broked."

Jethro smiled sadly at his child and brushed the backs of his fingers over Tony's cheek. "I don't like your leg broken either," he said softly, planting a kiss on Tony's forehead.

xxx

The ambulance came and Tony screeched in pain when the paramedics braced his leg for the trip. One of the EMTs pulled out a syringe loaded up with a painkiller.

"He can't have narcotics," Shannon told them firmly. "He hallucinates and becomes tachycardic."

"Oooh someone's been doing her homework," one of the EMTs said. "Where'd you learn all those big words?"

"Nursing school," Shannon said coolly. The EMT immediately quit talking.

"So what do we give him," the other EMT wondered out loud, looking over his selection of medications that he was authorized to administer.

xxx

A few minutes later, Tony was loaded up in the ambulance and they were ready to go. Shannon started to climb in the back but Tony shook his head.

"Jethro," he said to her. He looked around for him. Where had he gone?

"Tony? Are you sure?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah," he said softly. "I want my Jethro."

Shannon looked back at Jethro who shrugged. They swapped places. Tony pushed himself up on his elbow slowly. "Shannon?"

She stopped and turned around, looking back at him. "Yeah baby?"

"I loves you," he said softly.

She smiled back at him and waved. "I love you too Angel," she said. "I'll be right behind you ok? I'll see you at the hospital."

Tony nodded and laid back down. They'd given him something in a shot to make his leg quit hurting, but it wasn't working. He was kind of sleepy, but not really. He was still cold. He looked over at Jethro. "My leg hurting, he said softly.

"I'm so sorry Tony," Jethro said softly. "We'll be at the hospital soon ok? They'll get you all fixed up." He looked at the EMT. "Which hospital are we going to?"

"The one just down the street—the only one down here," the EMT said, barely glancing in their direction. He was focused on Tony's leg—checking the circulation, checking the swelling, that sort of thing.

"His orthopedist is in LA though," Jethro said.

"Hey look, we only do what we're told. They told us to go to this hospital. I'm sure they'll call up to LA and work something out."

Jethro nodded and looked back to Tony who looked like he'd maybe dozed off. "How's he doing," Jethro asked softly.

"He seems to be doing pretty good. He didn't show any signs of a concussion, but I would imagine they're still going to want to watch that closely for a day or two—in children it sometimes takes a bit for a concussion to show up. When we get to the hospital, they'll want to do x-rays and that sort of thing to see about his leg."

Jethro nodded and settled into his seat for the remainder of the short ride, one hand holding on to Tony's much smaller one.

Once they arrived at the hospital, they rolled Tony into one of the exam rooms in the emergency department. The combined noise and bright lighting jerked Tony back to wakefulness. He looked around, confused and scared, not understand where he was or what was going on. He felt his eyes fill with tears but determinedly blinked them away. Where was Jethro?

"Tony? You with me?" Jethro suddenly loomed over Tony, smiling down at him gently, and Tony felt the tears starting to come back. He sniffled loudly and tried to blink them away. When they fell down his cheeks he wiped them away forcefully.

Jethro stilled his hand gently. "It's alright Tony," he said softly. "It's alright to cry. I know it hurts."

"No s'not…cryin's bad…cryin's for babies…A Nozzos don' cry," Tony insisted.

"Sweetheart, you aren't a DiNozzo anymore," Jethro said gently.

"I's a Nozzo…I'll always be a Nozzo," Tony whimpered. "A Nozzos is bad."

"You're a Gibbs now," Jethro said softly. "Remember we changed your name? Your name is Anthony DiNozzo Gibbs now, remember?"

Tony thought about it for a long moment and then nodded slightly. "Jethro my leg really hurting," he whispered. And Jethro thought his heart might break a little when the child began to cry softly. Jethro snuggled him as best as he could, and wished with all of his heart that he could make his boy stop hurting.

xxx

Over the next few minutes, lots of things happened. Shannon arrived and really got everyone moving on taking care of her son. They quickly triaged Tony who remained silent as a mouse through the whole thing. His fingers clung desperately to Jethro, but he didn't make a sound—even when they touched his leg.

"I'm concerned that he isn't making any noise," the nurse, whose name was Amy, said.

Shannon shook her head, indicating she'd explain it later, but for now to let it go. Shannon was well-respected for her work on the pediatric intensive care unit in this hospital. She knew Tony would get good care here.

"There's a few people in front of you…give me just a few minutes to find him a spot alright?" Amy grabbed the chart and at Shannon's nod, hurried away.

"Gonna be okay Sweetie Pie," Shannon said softly. "Dr. Trexler…you remember him. He's the one who is going to fix up your leg. They're trying to get in touch with him so we can figure out what we need to do ok?"

Tony nodded.

Amy reached out a hand to run through Tony's hair, but the child flinched away from the stranger's touch. The flinch caused his leg to jostle which cause a quiet gasp of pain, and Tony's features clouded over pitifully. He bit his lip trying not to cry, but his leg really hurt!

"Awww I'm sorry honey," Amy said softly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"J-J-Jethrooo," Tony whimpered, turning his face towards Jethro, who moved in close to comfort him.

"Hey shhhh I've got you it's alright…shhhh…"

After speaking with Dr. Trexler who said he'd be on his way to the hospital in Oceanside immediately, Amy called and set up the x-rays to be done in radiology. "We can do these while we wait for Dr. Trexler to get here," Amy said.

Tony stayed on the stretcher, and they moved slowly to radiology. However, once they got there, Tony, not understanding what was going on, refused to be put down onto the table. He reached out and twisted his fingers into Jethro's t-shirt, trying to get away. "No, no please I's be good," he begged. The radiologist shook his head. Tony _had_ to be put on the table in order to get the x-rays. "I's be g-g-gooood," Tony sobbed as Jethro gently pried Tony's fingers from his shirt.

"This isn't because you've done anything bad Sweetheart," Shannon said. "The doctor is going to take a picture of the bones in your leg. You can have Daddy back in just a second."

The radiologist handed Jethro a lead jacket. "Your daddy can stand here with you and hold your hand, but you've got to listen and let me get the pictures, alright?"

Tony twisted on the table trying to see Jethro and relaxed when his new daddy stepped right up beside him. "Hey easy," Jethro said. He smiled when Tony immediately calmed. "I've got your six," he whispered, running his fingers over the child's hair. He nodded at the radiologist to begin.

"What's my six?" Tony mumbled. He grimaced as the doctor positioned his leg, but didn't cry out.

Jethro smiled. "Your six…well that is a military term," he told his boy. He glanced at the doctor who was working quickly now that Tony was distracted. "When you look at a clock do you know how you see numbers on it?"

"Mmm-huh," Tony nodded. He bit his lip when the doctor moved his leg again, but Jethro's gentle, blunt fingertips eased the lips from his teeth.

"Don't bite your lips Tony, it'll hurt," he said softly. "Anyway in the military, we use a clock to talk about where things are. If something is right in front of you it's at your 12 o'clock. If something is behind you, it's at your 6 o'clock. Does that make sense?"

Tony nodded again. A single tear escaped his eye as the doctor moved his leg one last time. "Almost done, Sweetheart," Shannon called to him. "You're doing great."

"That's my brave boy," Jethro said, his voice filled with pride. "So if I say I've got your six, I'm referring to that clock."

"You's a got my behind me then?"

Jethro smiled and nodded. "It means I'm watching your back for you. Not gonna let anything happen to you if I'm watching your six," he explained.

"Jethro you's a have my six lots," Tony declared as the doctor moved the lead blanket off of him. He sat up and his face twisted in pain.

"Take it easy," Jethro said, taking off his own lead covering. "I'll have your six all the time if you'll let me," he told his boy.

"Why?"

Jethro smiled. "Because that's what daddies are supposed to do for their kids."

"Jethro are you really my daddy now?"

"Yes. Remember when we went to court and the judge told us that you were part of our family now," Jethro said.

"I's a lotta work," Tony said. His eyes widened in fear as he was lifted off of the x-ray table and back on to the stretcher.

"You are no work at all, Little One," Jethro said softly.

Tony was moved to a room this time. "We've got a spot ready for him," Amy said. "I've also got something for the pain. Poor little guy, that leg must be hurting lots. Not that you'd know it though to hear him—he hasn't made a sound!"

Tony scowled up at the woman. She sounded nice, but he didn't like her words. "I's a be beat 'f I's a cry," he snapped.

Amy's eyes widened. Shannon grabbed her arm and gently escorted her to the hallway. Jethro sat in the chair next to Tony, helping to keep him still so he wouldn't hurt his leg.

xxx

Amy's eyes were wide when she and Shannon got to the hallway. "What does he mean by—"

"Listen, we've just adopted him," Shannon told her friend. "We found him last fall leaving the fair. He'd been abandoned by his father, and his mother is dead. His father put him through some pretty horrific abuse, and he still reverts back to that from time to time—especially when he's scared or hurt—which he is both right now. He's been working through some really tough flashbacks these last couple of months."

Amy's mouth formed an 'oh' and a look of pity crossed her features. "He's a strong little guy," she said softly.

Shannon nodded. "He is that, but he's also fiercely defensive and sometimes says inappropriate things that raise lots of eyebrows, but he's just processing his abuse," she said. "He knows he's safe now, so he's working through it."

"I understand," Amy said.

"He also doesn't really like strangers, so if he grumps at you, that's why," Shannon said softly.

"Just like his daddy," Amy winked at Shannon.

"Oh yes," she said with a chuckle. "They are cut from the same mold."

TBC…


	5. Make A Plan

**Author's Note:** Not a doctor! But I think I did my homework pretty well. Please forgive any mistakes.

_Thanks so much to Gotgoats who has been my constant support and cheerleader (as well as my super awesome beta). You rock dude! Love you!  
><em>_Also, HPDorkFreakaZoid: Can I please have my boat to work on now? *grin*_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 5: Make A Plan**

Back in the room, Jethro had moved to sit on the bed with Tony. The child was tired and frightened, and still chilly from laying out in the rain. Jethro had moved Tony just enough that the young father could sit on the bed with one leg propped up on the mattress, and Tony could lay his head on his daddy's leg. Jethro had pulled the sheet and blanket up over Tony's chest and arms and was talking softly to him, running his fingers lightly through his hair.

Shannon opened the door and came in with a cup of red juice in her hand. Tony eyed her warily and didn't move from where he was resting with Jethro.

"Hey Sweetie-Pie," Shannon said. "I got you some juice," she told Tony. "It's nearly breakfast time, and with the doctor coming to fix your leg we don't know if you should eat or not so the juice will be good," she spoke quietly. Shannon helped Tony sip from the cup as Jethro helped support his head and shoulders. Shannon winked at Jethro who nodded.

There were painkillers in that juice. Jethro'd bet a month's salary on it.

Tony dutifully drank down all of the juice and snuggled back against Jethro's leg. Jethro smiled and grabbed a tissue to dab at the pink drops of cherry juice on the corners of Tony's mouth. A few minutes later, Tony all but melted in his lap, sound asleep.

"Maybe now he can get some rest," Shannon said, running her fingers over Tony's hair and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. She kissed Jethro's cheek. "You're so wonderful with him, Gunny," she whispered in his ear.

"I'm glad you got him something for the pain," Jethro said. "I was wondering how you were going to get him to hold still for a needle."

The morning after they'd found Tony, Shannon had taken him to the pediatrician and he'd been given a broad spectrum antibiotic shot just to make sure and eliminate any bugs the boy might have picked up while he was on the streets. Tony had squealed in fear and nearly kicked the doctor in the face. In the months, doctors appointments, and hospital stays that had followed, the fear of needles had no disappeared. Shannon and Jethro hadn't got out of Tony where that awful fear of needles came from, but what they witnessed went much further than a child's normal apprehension of shots.

"I knew we couldn't even try that after everything he's been through," Shannon said. "Are you ok holding him or do you want to lay him on the pillow?"

Jethro shifted just slightly and Tony, despite his drugged state, moaned and clung to his daddy. "I'm fine to hold him," he said with a smile. Together he and Shannon settled in for a quiet wait that was becoming alarmingly familiar.

An hour or so later there was a knock on the door. A few minutes earlier Nurse Amy had come by to check Tony's vitals and make sure he was holding up ok while they waited on his specialist to arrive. Tony hadn't woken up at all during the exchange and Amy left soon after. Jethro raised his head at the sound and Shannon sat up straighter in her chair. It was nearly 8am when Dr. Trexler poked his head in. "Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs?"

"That's us," Jethro said.

"It's nice to see you again," he said, stepping in the room with Amy right behind him. She shut the door softly. "Unfortunate circumstances though," he said quietly, picking up Tony's file.

"I know we've got Tony's surgery scheduled for next month," Shannon said, "but once he fell…we had to bring him in," she shrugged helplessly.

"Tell me what happened and I'll tell you what I learned from the x-rays," the doctor said, taking a seat on the rolling stool.

"Jethro woke up around 4am with this strange feeling that something had happened…Tony had gotten up a few minutes before we did, and he went downstairs without waking us and let the dog out to do her business. He lost sight of her in the dark and the rain, and walked to the steps to look for her. Sasha is a pretty big dog…and she came running and bumped Tony by accident. He fell down the back steps…"

Dr. Trexler nodded. "His injury actually makes more sense now," he said. "Let me explain what I discovered in the x-rays."

"Please do," Jethro said softly, tightening his arms around Tony just slightly. Tony sniffled softly, but was sleeping so soundly he was drooling on Jethro's leg. He didn't wake up as the conversation unfolded around him.

"Well we've known for some time that Tony's leg was broken at least three times," the doctor began. Jethro's gut churned every time he heard information like this about his child. He'd heard all of this before, but he still felt the unrelenting burning hatred for DiNozzo Senior. "It also appears that each time his leg was broken he wasn't not seen by a physician to make sure the bone mended correctly."

"Right," Shannon said. "You said that's what's caused the angles and twists of the bone in his leg."

"That is correct," Dr. Trexler said. He walked over to the x-ray viewing screen and flipped it on. Amy opened a folder and pulled out the screens of Tony's leg. He pointed at the bones and Jethro grimaced. "Now if you look here," Dr. Trexler said pointing to one spot on Tony's femur. "This is where his leg broke last night. If you look at the way the bones in his leg are aligned around that break, it really isn't surprising to me that it broke."

"Why is that," Jethro asked.

"Well you've had the boy since, what, September of last year?"

"November," Jethro said softly. "We got him permanently in November."

"And in that time Tony has gained some weight?"

"He's gained about seven pounds," Shannon said.

Dr. Trexler nodded. "The spot where his bone broke last night is the same spot I believe where another of his breaks occurred. If you look here, you can see the one on his tibia…the other on his fibula up near the patella, but the third break occurred in his femur, and I would wager it was in this same spot."

Tony stirred suddenly and Jethro quickly soothed him back to sleep. "Shhhh it's ok son," he murmured. "Just rest now. Daddy's got you." Tony blinked up at him for a moment, smiled dopily and then closed his eyes and went back to asleep.

"So what does his weight have to do with his leg breaking? Has he gained too much weight?"

"For a boy his age? Not at all. For a boy who has unproperly mended breaks in his leg? Yes. The stress of the added weight has put more pressure on these weakened spots. The sudden shift in his weight caused by the dog would have easily caused his leg to break."

Shannon shook her head. "Just barely shifting his weight like that? You think that his leg broke before he fell down the stairs?"

The doctor nodded. "I think the fall down the stairs was the result of his leg breaking," he said. "So in order to fix it I'm going to have to operate sooner than I planned. It would be more painful and unnecessary for me to let that bone mend improperly again and have to rebreak it when I operate. I don't want to do that. And at this point the only way for me to mend the leg properly is to operate now."

"When can we do the operation?"

Dr. Trexler pulled out a calendar. "It looks like…right now there are no available operating theaters for this type of procedure at the hospital we were planning on in LA."

"What's that mean for Tony?" Jethro asked.

Dr. Trexler looked at his schedule. "Give me a moment to make a call?" The Gibbses nodded and the doctor left the room. Shannon smiled sadly at Tony and smoothed his blankets, and Jethro stroked his fingers through Tony's hair while they waited. It wasn't long before Dr. Trexler came back.

"There's an operating theater available here this afternoon," Dr. Trexler said. "I am having a medical supply courier get together everything I need from LA to perform the surgery. It should be here by lunchtime and we will start the operation around…let's say 1pm."

The Gibbses looked at each other. "I'll call Myra and see if she'll keep Kelly," Shannon said.

"I'm already scheduled to be off work," Jethro said.

"Excellent," Dr. Trexler said. "I want to keep him in bed, just to make sure he puts absolutely no weight at all on that leg. Before the operation I will want to discuss what things will be like for him afterwards."

"You mean like treatment and stuff like that?"

The doctor nodded at Jethro. "There will be lots of information, but we'll go over it in a couple of hours. For now get some rest, get something to eat, and we'll get Tony fixed up in no time at all."

"Sounds good," Jethro said. "Thank you doctor."

"My pleasure," Dr. Trexler said. "Try to have a good morning."

xxx

Kelly woke up and rolled out of bed. She decided that she would go ahead and put on her clothes before she ate breakfast, so that as soon as she was finished eating she could go outside to play. As she pulled on her shorts and sandals she wondered if Tony would feel up to joining her in the backyard today. He hadn't been feeling too good for the past couple of days, but she was hopeful that today he would be better.

She glanced briefly at Tony's open bedroom door as she moved towards the steps and was glad to see that her brother was already awake. Kelly hurried down the stairs and stopped short when she got to the living room.

Myra Tyler was sitting on the couch reading a magazine and looked up when she heard Kelly come down the steps.

"Good morning Sweetie," Myra said with a gentle smile.

"Why are you here? Mrs. Tyler where's my mommy and daddy and Tony?"

"They aren't here right now," Myra said. "There was…," she sighed, "Little Tony had to go to the hospital." Her voice was gentle.

Kelly's eyes widened even more. "W-why'd h-he hafta go t-to the hospital?"

"Come sit with me and I'll tell you about what happened," Myra said. Kelly stepped closer to the couch and crawled up into her best friend's mother's lap. "Tony got up last night to let Sasha go outside. While Sasha was in the yard, Tony lost sight of him. He walked out onto the porch to see if he could find Sasha and Sasha came running back up the steps. She bumped Tony by accident and Tony fell. His leg is broken Kelly."

"Sasha broke his leg?"

"It was an accident honey. They took him to the hospital about 4:30 this morning."

"But…why…no one…" a tear trickled down Kelly's face. "Why didn't anybody tell me?" Her voice was so filled with sadness that it broke Myra's heart.

"Oh honey it was so early, and they were afraid you'd be scared. So your mom and dad asked me if I would stay here with you until you woke up. And now we can go over to my house and you can see Maddie if you like?"

"I wanna go to the hospital," Kelly said fiercely. "I wanna see my Tony."

"Honey they're fixing his leg. I just talked to your mommy a few minutes ago. Tony's having surgery today. You won't be able to see him until after."

"But he's my brother! The judge told us so! He's my brother and he's hurting and I want to go see him!"

"Kelly…"

"No! You can't keep me away from him!"

"Let me make a deal with you."

"No," Kelly whimpered. "No deals. Only want to go see Tony."

"Let's go back to my house," Myra said. Kelly shook her head stubbornly. "Hey…will you at least listen to me?"

Kelly sniffled hard and wiped the tears from her face furiously. "What."

"Let's go to my house. We'll get you some breakfast, and when your mom calls next then we will find out where they are in the hospital and I will take you to see them—but ONLY if your mommy says it's alright."

Kelly stared at Myra for a long time. Myra was like another mommy to her. And if she went with her she'd get to play with Maddie. She nodded in agreement.

"Attagirl," Maddie's mom said soothingly. "Come on Sweetie, it's going to be ok. Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

As they moved towards the door, Kelly saw Sasha in the kitchen doorway. She glowered at the dog, her face contorting with rage. "You stupid Sasha," Kelly snapped. "Why'd you hurt MY TONY!"

Sasha drooped a bit at the child's harsh words, obviously understanding the scolding. Myra squatted down and held out a gentle hand towards Sasha. "Now Sasha didn't mean to hurt Tony, Kelly," she said firmly. "Sasha loves Little Tony. She would never want to hurt him on purpose."

Hearing Myra's soothing voice, Sasha tiptoed slowly over to her. Her body was cowed down and tucked in tight; her tail under her hind legs. Every bit of her seemed to radiate how sorry she was for her part in the accident. Myra gently scratched behind Sasha's ears. "You're a good girl, Sasha," she said. "Kelly's just upset because Tony got hurt. But we know you didn't mean to hurt him, no you didn't, not at all, no no no."

Kelly giggled at the way Myra was baby talking the dog, and Sasha wagged her tail and licked Myra's hand gratefully. Myra patted her gently and Kelly reached out and stroked the short fur on top of Sasha's head. "I'm still mad at you," she said softly, "but I know you are worried too."

"Come on honey," Myra said. "Let's bring Sasha with us. I don't think she wants to be alone right now either."

Together, the three of them left the house.

xxx

JoAnne was at her desk, hard at work on her next business proposal for her company, when her phone rang. She glanced at the clock, 8am. She'd already been in the office for an hour and a half. Lifting the phone off the receiver, JoAnne picked up her coffee cup.

"Good morning. This is JoAnne Fielding," she spoke pleasantly into the phone.

"_Grandma?"_

"Kelly? Hi Sweetheart!" JoAnne's heart gave a mixed reaction of joy to hear from her granddaughter, and concern…usually Shannon did the calling and Kelly would get on the phone later.

"_Um… Grandma I think you need to come visit again."_

JoAnne smiled. "I am going to come visit again near the end of the summer, remember? I'm going to come stay a week with you, and then you are going to come stay a week with me. Remember?"

"_I really think you need to come earlier Tony is in the hospital because he had surgery this morning on his leg because he broke it again when the dog rammed into him,"_ Kelly blurted out, all her words tumbling together.

In the background, JoAnne heard another voice, _"Kelly who are you on the phone with honey?"_

"_My Grandma,"_ came the slightly muffled response.

JoAnne was still trying to catch up with what was going on. "Honey who are you with right now?"

"_My friend Maddie's mommy Myra,"_ Kelly said matter-of-factly.

"Could I speak to her darling?"

"_Ok. I love you Grandma! Come visit!"_ Kelly passed the phone to Myra.

"_Hello? Is this…"_

"This is JoAnne, Shannon's mother," JoAnne said. "What's happened to Tony?"

Myra told the story to JoAnne who listened with a sick feeling in her gut. Hadn't that poor child been through enough?

"…_we're about to go to the hospital so that Kelly can see Jethro and Shannon. They're going to take Tony back at noon,"_ Myra said.

"Will you do me a favor please, dear?"

"_Of course!"_

"Would you please tell Shannon that I am on my way?"

"_I would be happy to,"_ Myra said. The two ladies chatted for a few more moments and eventually got off the phone.

JoAnne sat at her desk, her business plan forgotten, her entire day completely altered. She thought for a moment and flipped through her personal phone book of numbers. Seeing the one she needed she dialed…and waited.

xxx

Jackson was busily sweeping up a pile of cereal that had spilled from a box onto the floor when the phone rang. He set the dustpan down and walked up front, propping the broom on the counter.

"County store," he answered pleasantly.

"_Jackson?"_

"JoAnne?"

"_Have you heard from the children this morning?"_

Jackson narrowed his eyes. "No…I haven't talked to them since the weekend. Why?"

JoAnne sighed in Jackson's ear. _"I think we need to book flights. Tony's in the hospital again."_

Jackson listened with growing horror as JoAnne explained what had happened as well as she could with what little information she had. By the time she finished telling him the situation, he had already flipped the sign to say 'CLOSED' and had turned out the lights and locked the door.

The two grandparents lived relatively close to each other and would be flying out of the same airport. After their extensive time together several weeks before, they agreed that it would be fine with them if they flew out together today.

"_I will book two flights,"_ JoAnne said. _ "But I won't wait for you. If you are running late, you will have to get a ticket and fly in later."_

"I'm coming I'm coming," Jackson grumbled. "Don't get your girdle in a twist."

xxx

It was a long morning for Shannon, Jethro and Tony in the hospital. Tony woke up a couple of times, sobbing in pain at his leg, groggy from the heavier than normal painkillers. Jethro laid on the bed with Tony as best as he could without hurting him and rubbed his back, brushed his fingers through the child's hair over and over, whispered in his ear that he was safe, that Daddy had his six, that everything was ok and this afternoon he'd get his leg fixed.

Tony, for his part, clung desperately to him, whimpering in pain, scared of being left alone. He was so groggy from the pain medication that he didn't try to be brave and act like nothing was wrong, and he didn't question why Jethro had stayed with him as he had done in the past, merely embraced the fact that he was there and refused to let him go.

At exactly noon, Dr. Trexler came in, preceded by a light knock on the door. He checked Tony's chart and nodded. "Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs," he said after the usual greetings, "I'd like to take a minute to talk to you about what my plan is regarding Tony's leg."

"Yes of course Doctor," Shannon said. She was sitting right beside Tony, her fingers wrapped lightly around her little boy's.

The doctor flipped on the x-ray viewing screen and put up the x-rays from earlier that morning so they could look at them together.

"Now. As I pointed out this morning, Tony's leg was broken here, here, and here," Dr. Trexler said, using a pen to point at each spot where the bone in Tony's leg had been broken. He moved the pen to the place where Tony's leg was currently broken. "He has, what is called, a supracondylar femur fracture," he continued. "The bone broke right at the junction where his femur meets his knee. And because the bones were not set so they could mend properly, the bones have now become crooked and jagged." He indicated the spot on Tony's fibula where the bone was jagged—it had set itself and mended crooked.

"Right," Jethro said, easily following the doctor's explanation. Shannon nodded for him to continue.

"There could be long term damage to the major muscle groups in Tony's leg if we postpone this repair, which is another reason why I wanted to go ahead and fix it," Dr. Trexler said.

"How do you fix it," Jethro asked. "Do you just rebreak his leg and then put it back where it's supposed to go?"

The doctor nodded. "If the bone had only just started to mend itself in these places then that is exactly what I would do," he said. "However, since enough time has passed for these breaks to completely mend, and these bones have completely knitted together, we're going to be required to do some more intensive repair work."

"Like what, Dr. Trexler," Shannon asked. She had a feeling she knew what was coming, and she was a bit concerned as to how Jethro would take the news.

The doctor sighed. We're actually going to have to insert several plates, rods, pins and screws into Tony's leg to fix the bone. It's going to be quite a long and painful process for him."

"Will all of the pins be internal?" Shannon's voice was quiet, filled with knowing, but also regret.

The doctor shook his head and Jethro felt sick. "No. Unfortunately we will be required to use an external fixator to help keep the bones still and immobile until they heal."

"Is that one of those metal cage looking things that has pins that go into his leg?" Jethro asked, feeling his stomach turn over.

Dr. Trexler nodded. "That's exactly what I'm talking about," he said gently.

Jethro stood up and walked over to Tony's bed where the child lay sleeping, oblivious to the challenges that would be ahead for him. He gripped the bedrails and closed his eyes, willing himself not to cry. This little boy needed to not hurt anymore. Why couldn't it be an easy fix?

"Also," Dr. Trexler said softly. Jethro turned around to look at him. "Because of the location of the femur fracture, Tony is going to be at a much higher risk for developing arthritis in his knee later on."

Jethro and Shannon nodded. That really didn't surprise them too much. They'd both instinctively known the instant they saw the x-rays that Tony would one day have arthritis. A thought occurred to him.

"Will he be able to play? Like other kids? Go to the playground and stuff?"

Dr. Trexler nodded again. "A good question," he said. "Tony is going to require a great deal of physical therapy, both to rebuild strength in his bones, as well as adjust to the new hardware, for lack of a better term, that will be in his leg. It may take him several months before he will be able to be up and walking around, running and the like. This summer may not be any fun for him at all."

"What about sports? I mean I don't even know if he'd want to, but maybe one day he'd be interested…?"

"I would caution against full contact sports such as football, hockey, and wrestling. I think running track would be too much repeated impact on that already compromised leg. He might be much more successful doing something lower impact, like the swim team. I won't rule out playing basketball or soccer, but we won't know that until we see how his leg heals."

"Doctor, you said that it would be several months before he's up walking around and moving. Will his leg be in a cast during that time?"

The doctor nodded at Shannon. "He's going to have his lower leg in a cast for some time. His femur will be in the external fixator initially, but we may move him to a cast eventually. Because of the nature of this type of injury, and the fact that essentially his entire leg is going to be in a cast, I'm going to prescribe him a wheelchair and set you up with a medical supply company to provide you with one you can take home with you. Will you need a ramp for your home?"

Jethro and Shannon shared a look. They hadn't counted on a wheelchair. "Yes," Jethro said. "But I can build Tony a ramp. Although, his bedroom is upstairs…"

"Well with that you have two options. You can either bring him up and down the stairs each time, or you can find him a place to sleep downstairs."

"We could get a futon that folds out into a bed," Jethro said. "I'm on leave…he'll be with me most of the time anyway." He glanced at Shannon who nodded. "He doesn't need to be hanging out in the hospital all summer anymore than necessary. Once my leave is done I can take him to work with me."

"Doctor why use the wheelchair instead of simply using crutches?" Shannon was curious.

Well because of his injuries, he won't be able to put any weight on his leg that would create pressure on his foot or a downward pull," the doctor explained. "Once the cast is on, his leg will be too heavy to support with crutches and not have the bone pulled on by the weight of the cast, and the danger that he'll forget and walk. Children who are Tony's age are notorious for 'forgetting' their injury and walking on their leg."

"I guess that makes sense," Shannon said. "How long do you think Tony will be in the hospital?"

"I'd like to keep him here definitely until day after tomorrow, but we'll reevaluate then and see how we should proceed. How long do you think you will need to get the house ready for his return?"

"I can have the ramp built in a day," Jethro said. "But I don't want to leave until Tony's out of surgery and I see him. I could probably build it tomorrow," he said.

"Understandable," Dr. Trexler said. "I will propose this. To give you all a chance to ready your home for him, and to give him a chance to rest his leg and put no weight on it, and to make sure that there are no complications from his surgery, we will tentatively say that Tony's release date will be on Saturday. That gives us three days. We won't release him before then, but I'm not saying we won't need to keep him longer."

"That sounds reasonable," Shannon said. Jethro nodded.

"What kind of complications could he have?" Jethro worried his thumbnail and flickered his gaze between the doctor, the x-rays, and his little boy.

"With any type of surgery, especially a major one such as this, there is always the risk of blood clots, more bleeding than we plan, or the wound may not drain properly. With the external fixator there is an increased risk of infection because the pins have open wounds surrounding them, which, if not monitored very closely could become breeding grounds for infections."

Jethro frowned but nodded and looked back at Tony.

"We'll be watching him very closely Mr. Gibbs," Dr. Trexler said. "I don't anticipate him having any trouble other than he's going to hate the wheelchair." He smiled gently at the family. "Anymore questions?"

They shook their heads and remained silent. The doctor nodded. "Alright then," Dr. Trexler said, flipping off the x-ray viewer. "Let's get this show on the road."

TBC…


	6. Family

**Author's Note:** And now…the moment you've all been waiting for! *Drum roll*

_This chapter was a tough one to get out—thanks SO much to Gotgoats for all your wonderful betaing and chapter naming and suggestions. You're an amazing beta, and such a great friend. Love ya!_**  
><strong>

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 6: Family**

Jethro smiled reassuringly down at Tony who stared groggily up at him. They'd woken him only briefly before the surgery, allowing the young parents to give kisses and whisper I love you's to the child before the anesthesia would whisk him away from them for a while.

"Daddy loves you," Jethro whispered. He kissed Tony's forehead and ruffled his hair. Tony squeezed his hand weakly. "I'll be here when you wake up ok? Be brave Little One."

Tony nodded and yawned deeply. Shannon smiled down at him and kissed him. "This is so exciting," she whispered to him. "You'll be up, running and playing and feeling better in no time at all!" Tony nodded again.

"Loves you," the child whispered softly. With another squeeze on Jethro's hand, he quietly drifted off to sleep.

Jethro wrapped an arm around Shannon's shoulder, and she wrapped an arm around Jethro's waist. They leaned on each other silently, watching as their child was rolled away to the operating theater.

xxx

Once Tony had gone into surgery, Shannon called Myra to check on Kelly.

"Oh honey," Myra said. "Your daughter needs to be a politician when she grows up," she chuckled.

Shannon laughed. "Oh dear…what's she been doing?" She listened as Myra told her about how Kelly had fussed at the dog, had called her grandmother and set up an entire care plan for Tony over the phone with her, and how she'd begged to go see her brother before the surgery.

"My mother's coming out, isn't she?" Shannon said, a knowing smile on her face.

In her ear, Myra chuckled again. "And Jethro's father. They were going to fly out together."

"You haven't seen any fireballs in the sky have you? Parachutes where they've been tossed off the plane?" Shannon couldn't help but giggle at the image of her prissy mother stuck on a plane crammed in next to Jethro's laid back easy going father. Though they had been trying very hard to get along in an effort to not create more stress during the past couple of months.

"I'll keep a look out for that," Myra said. "Kelly really would like to come see Tony though."

"Well Tony's already gone for surgery," Shannon said. "But if she wants to come hang with me and Jethro that's ok with us—if you don't mind to bring her?"

"I don't mind at all. I'll bring Maddie and we'll stay with you all. That way I'm there in case you guys need something," Myra said.

xxx

Jackson thanked the young lady at the rental car counter and picked up the keys. He turned to JoAnne and smiled. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," she said. She was tired, her feet hurt, she hadn't intended to fly to California today and she was stuck with Jackson. These trips out west seemed to be forming a pattern of increased amounts of time spent with Jethro's father. JoAnne wasn't particularly thrilled with the new trend.

The two made their way out to the pickup lane where their rental car had been parked for them. Jackson slid into the driver's seat of the large SUV after putting his and JoAnne's bags in the trunk. They stopped and grabbed cheeseburgers from a drive through and hopped on the highway heading for Camp Pendleton.

xxx

Dr. Trexler paused next to Little Tony. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centering himself and focusing on the job at hand. He rested his hands on Tony's leg and bowed his head. "Oh God guide my hands and help me to bring healing to this precious little one," he prayed softly. "Help me to make the right decisions and do what is best for his little leg." He raised his head and blinked his eyes open. He looked at the team surrounding him and nodded. "Alright people," his tone was all business. "Here we go."

The doctor looked carefully at the x-ray again. He motioned for his surgical resident to join him.

"Alright William," he said. "How do you think we should repair this?" Dr. Trexler already had in mind how he thought the repair should go, but he always liked to hear what his students said. William had driven down from LA this morning with him to assist on this operation.

William was a brilliant student, and was going to be a very good doctor one day soon. He looked at the x-rays with Dr. Trexler and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I first thought intramedullary rods would be the way to go," he said, "But with the child being so young, his growth plates won't have sealed yet…the rods are usually more effective with older children and adults." He thought for a moment. "Flexible rods would be another option…but after reviewing his developmental charts and growth…I'm going to suggest an external fixator. It'll be a tough recovery for him, but I think in the long run would be best."

The resident looked at the doctor with a small degree of uncertainty. Seeing the smile on his instructor's face he relaxed a bit. "That's exactly what I was thinking, William," Dr. Trexler said. "Good work. Let's get busy."

xxx

Three hours later, Jethro was pacing the waiting room like a caged animal. Shannon had left to go to the cafeteria with Kelly, Maddie and Myra. Kelly was hungry and refusing to let her Mommy out of her sight. Jethro sat in the waiting room chair, bent forward head in his hands, waiting for news.

"Family of Tony Gibbs?" It still flipped Jethro's stomach every time he heard that name. He was so excited that they'd managed to finally complete the adoption process and claim Tony as their son legally. And especially now, with all of the fast decisions needing to be made regarding his leg, Jethro was especially happy that they didn't have to wait on the State of California to make a decision.

"Here," Jethro said, looking up in surprise to see Dr. Trexler. "Shouldn't you be with Tony? Is Tony alright? Is he ok?"

"My resident is with him now. They are moving him to recovery. He came through his surgery just fine—no scares at all. Once he's in recovery we'll come back and get you. You wanted to be with him when he wakes up, correct?"

"That's right," Jethro said. "We're trying to make this as not-scary as possible for him."

"Wise," Dr. Trexler said. "I will be by to see him this evening before I go home, and my resident is going to stay with a friend down here, so he will be very close should an emergency rise. I trust him implicitly, and tomorrow I will be back again to check on Tony."

Jethro nodded and shook the doctor's hand. With a nod and a smile, Dr. Trexler turned and went back to the operating room where he'd come from.

xxx

While Jethro was waiting on them to come get him to go sit with Tony, Shannon returned. Jethro rushed to her and hugged her. "He's ok, Shannon," he said. "He's going to be fine," he murmured.

"Did the nurse come out and talk to you?"

"No the doctor came. He said they're getting Tony ready to move to recovery. They're going to come get me in a few minutes to go sit with him."

"JETHRO!"

"SHANNON!"

The young parents turned and their eyes widened when they saw their parents coming into the waiting room. In the confusion, Shannon had completely forgotten to tell Jethro that they were on their way. She looked at her mom and father-in-law, smiled and turned back to Jethro. "Surprise," she said weakly. "I forgot to tell you."

"What…how did they know…we haven't called them…" Jethro was completely dumbfounded.

"I called Grandma, Daddy! I told her she needed to come!" Kelly chirped happily. She raced across the waiting room into her grandparents' waiting arms.

"Little rascal," Jethro muttered. He smiled in relief though, and ran to meet his father.

It wasn't long before a nurse came to tell them that Tony had been moved. "Can we see him yet?" Kelly was eager to see her brother.

"This way Mr. Gibbs," the nurse said, turning and walking away. Jethro stood and followed the nurse hurriedly. He needed to look at his son, touch him, and tell him everything was going to be alright. He and Shannon had agreed that Jethro would be with him when Tony woke up.

As they made their way to the recovery area, Jethro spoke softly. "Is he awake yet?"

The nurse shook her head. "Not completely. He's starting to come around. It won't be long. He may feel sick or nauseous when he wakes up. That is completely normal." Jethro nodded. They approached a curtained off area. "I'll be back to check on him in a moment," she said, leaving him to go in alone.

The young father eyed the curtain with a certain level of uncertainty. He wanted to be there when Tony woke up so his child wouldn't feel scared, but Jethro hadn't considered how scared _he_ would feel. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Jethro pulled back the curtain and stepped up to the bed.

xxx

In the waiting room, Jackson and JoAnne had joined Shannon, Myra, Maddie and Kelly on the chairs. Kelly was busy telling her grandparents all about what had happened to Tony. About how the dog had knocked him down, how he'd fallen, how he'd broken his leg—oh it was all so dramatic to hear her tell it. More than once, Jackson glanced from Kelly to Shannon to see just how much the little girl was embellishing the story. To his horror though, from the sad smile on Shannon's face, the older man could tell that there wasn't much exaggerating going on. It really had happened, pretty much exactly the way Kelly was describing it.

Shannon told Jackson how Tony would be in a wheelchair when he got out of the hospital, and how they'd need a ramp to get him in and out of the house. Jackson smiled. "Jethro says he can get it built, but it'll take him a whole day," Shannon said.

Jackson shook his head. "Won't take him a whole day. I'll help him. We'll have it done in no time at all. And we'll build it so that we can take it off once Tony's out of the chair and getting around better. It'll be great," he said.

JoAnne was speaking quietly with Myra. They were quietly making plans for meals, cleaning, additional support to be obtained by some of the ladies in the neighborhood. JoAnne was grateful that her daughter had such a wonderful friend who was so close by and so willing to help. In the floor, Maddie and Kelly began to play with the toy animals they'd decided to bring along.

Progress was slow, and as the time ticked by, everyone began to wonder more about how Little Tony was doing, and their desire to see him grew. Discussions became quieter, more distant, and finally, after several long minutes, all eyes were moving between the clock and the door. Surely someone would come with some news about the little boy soon.

xxx

Ruby Jarvis glanced over her shoulder when she heard the phone ringing across the room. She sighed when she saw that her roommate had on her headphones and wasn't paying any attention. She got up and walked over to the phone.

Ruby was a Junior this year at San Diego State University and was currently enrolled in summer semester classes. She'd worked hard in high school to receive her full academic scholarship and was putting it to good use now. She was hard at work on a double major in Anthropology and American Indian Studies. She was minoring in Geological Sciences. Her GPA was 4.0 and she had not missed a day of class since she began her college career.

She was an impeccably well-rounded student; one of those people who were comfortable to be around, who were sought out by others just because it felt good to be near them. She attended church on Sundays, was a member of several different clubs and academic organizations, and during the upcoming summer had finally managed to get a slot on an archaeology dig in southern New Mexico. On top of her brilliance, friendliness and good humor—she was beautiful! Her hair was long and dark, complemented by olive skin and deep brown eyes.

She was the girl that everyone wished they could be.

"Hello?" She answered the phone pleasantly. On the bed beside the phone, Lilah, her roommate, sat up, suddenly interested.

_"Hey there Rubes,"_ her friend Moss said. They'd met when they were freshmen and had been good buddies ever since._ "Whatcha doing tonight?"_

It was a Wednesday night and she had class early in the morning. "Probably just hanging around here. You wanna come over?"

_"I was going to see if you wanted to come with me to the party at the Jud House?"_ The Jud House got a new name from its fraternity every year.

"I dunno," Ruby said. Lilah was nodding her head emphatically. She was also a Junior, and unlike her roommate was quite the party animal. She was a Dance major and Ruby thought this must mean Lilah felt called to go shake her ass for every boy on campus at every opportunity. "Who all's going to be there?"

_"I'm not too sure, but I figured a party might be a nice way to break up the week,"_ Moss said, and Ruby could hear the smile in his tone. _"Plus the frat is hosting the Marines for their annual recruitment…who knows? You might find Prince Charming."_

It was no secret among the people that Ruby and Lilah hung around with that they each had a thing for Marines—especially hot Marines in uniform. Ruby smiled and looked at Lilah who looked like she was about to burst with excitement.

"Okay Moss," Ruby consented. "But I can't stay out too late—I have class early in the morning."

_"You won't have to stay out too late Princess,"_ Moss teased._ "But it'd be awesome if you'd come. I hate going to parties alone, you know that."_

"You could always take Lilah instead," Ruby offered helpfully. Lilah nearly leapt off the bed in excitement.

_"You know Lilah is welcome to come too,"_ Moss said. _"Tell her to come, but tell her I ain't babysitting her drunk ass all night."_

"He says you can come but he's not babysitting you if you get drunk," Ruby relayed to her roommate.

_"No that's not what I said,"_ Moss chuckled. _"Tell her what I said,"_ he laughed again, _"not what you interpreted it as with your G-rated ears!"_

Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes. "Moss says he 'ain't babysitting your drunk ass all night,'" she said, making sure to stretch his midwestern accent just like he'd done.

_"Funny,"_ Moss said snarkily in the phone. Ruby could almost hear his smile._ "Real funny."_

"I thought so," Ruby said sweetly. "So…what kinda party is this? Dressing up? Hanging out?"

_"Not toooo dressy—like ya don't need to go buy new shoes or anything,"_ Moss said,_ "but don't wear your gym clothes either."_

"Moss I don't go to the gym," Ruby said.

"_You know what I mean Princess,"_ he replied._ "I'll pick you up around eight ok?"_

"Eight o'clock sounds…" Ruby glanced a Lilah who offered her a huge grin and two thumbs up and at the clock that said she had two hours. "Sounds great Moss. See you then."

After she got off the phone with Moss, Ruby returned to her desk. She'd just gotten seated in her chair when the phone rang again. Lilah dove for it this time.

"Hello-yello!" A moment later Lilah rolled her eyes and held out the phone. "It's your mother," she said. Lilah sighed. "I was really hoping it'd be Stan."

Ruby shook her head and chuckled at her roommate. She took the phone and raised it to her ear. "Hi Momma," she said with a smile. She loved talking to her mother; she was truly her best friend.

The two talked for a long time about school, work, Ruby's father, her grandparents, all of the antics of her four brothers and sisters at home. After nearly an hour on the phone Ruby looked at the clock and her eyes widened. She had just enough time to change her clothes and eat dinner before Moss would arrive.

_"Oh and Ruby,"_ her mother said just before they hung up._ "Be a good girl. Don't get into any trouble."_

"I won't Momma," Ruby said.

_"You stay away from those fraternity parties. They're nothing but trouble, y'hear?"_

Ruby bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Ok Momma. I hear you. I'll be careful."

_"You don't be careful. You be good. Good girls don't need to be careful. If you don't go anywhere you shouldn't be, then you don't have anything to worry about."_

Ruby sighed. "I know Momma. I know. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you." She hung up the phone. Sometimes her mother made her so angry! She was twenty-one years old! She knew that she should be careful when it came to things like sex and drinking and stuff. But she was going to a party with her friends, and she would be there with her friends, and they would all look out for each other. She'd be fine. There was nothing to worry about.

It was a mother's job to overreact, after all. And Ruby's mother had it down to a science.

xxx

_Tony blinked in surprise to see his mother standing over him...she looked horrible—pale and her eyes looked very dark, almost black. He was back in his room in the garage at his father's house...and his mother was sneering at him. His hands were chained to the hook on the wall to keep him from banging around and making noise, and his mother was holding the key that would release him._

_"You have to make a choice," she sneered at him. The smell of blood, of dead rotting flesh filled his nose, and the child gagged. "You have to decide who your family is. Are you going to stay with me—with your real family? Or are you going to go be with those people who are pretending to be your parents?"_

_Tony shook his head, confused. "But...I's loves my Jethro…and my Jethro loves me," he said. He was shocked—he was talking more like a baby—more like he used to. What the heck was going on? His mother reached out suddenly and struck his bad leg—why did she always have to hurt him? Why would she hit his leg like that? It hurt horribly…felt like someone was stabbing him in his leg._

_"I think you're lying," his mother sneered. "If you really loved him—if you really wanted to stay with him—then you'd call him Daddy!" She held up the keys to his chains, and a wicked smile brightened her very dead face. "But if you don't love him...if you're really lying like I think you are...then you can stay here with me...locked up...like a little animal...right where you belong...with your Mommy for all eternity!"_

_"NO!" Tony screamed. "I's wanna be with my Jethro! I wanna be with my Daddy! I want my Daddy!"_

xxx

Jethro stopped just inside the curtain and his eyes widened when he saw his little boy's leg. True to his word, Dr. Trexler had very carefully attached an external fixator to his child's leg. He'd done it in such a way that it went from up near his hip, to down over his knee. Jethro was confused by the lack of cast on his lower leg. He'd been expecting to see that.

Another nurse ripped the curtain back suddenly and stopped for just a moment, looking sympathetically at the little boy in the bed. "Poor dear," she murmured. "Having such a bad day. I'm sure you're feeling just horrible Sweetie…" she moved to the bed and began checking his vitals and checking his surgery incisions.

Jethro took a tentative step forward. "Is he um…is he…"

"Oh look dear, your father is here! I'm sure he came to make you feel better."

Tony, in his heavily drugged state, visibly shuddered when the nurse mentioned his father. Jethro knew that was his cue to step forward and reassure his son that Mean Daddy was nowhere near them. He ran a hand lightly over Tony's uninjured leg and picked up his small hand—the one unencumbered by the IV.

"Hey Buddy," he said softly. Tony's eyelids began fluttering ever so slightly. Jethro smiled sadly and squeezed Tony's hand, rubbing his hand up and down Tony's arm. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Tony managed to crack his eyes open. Jethro stared into the fuzzy looking green eyes, and a moment later confusion began to fill Tony's features.

"You with me Tony?"

Tony blinked heavily and turned his head slightly, his eyes searching around the room curiously. Finally, after a very long moment, he licked his lips and took a shaky breath. "W…Where…m-my…my m-mean-mommy?" he finally whispered. He blinked again, heavily…he was so tired…so sleepy.

"She…she went to heaven Tony, remember?" Jethro said softly.

Tony blinked and stared at him. After a long moment he nodded. "I's forgotted," he murmured. He coughed once and his body lurched. The nurse passed him a small plastic vomit pan and Jethro got it shoved under Tony's chin at just the last moment. The effects of the anesthesia were horrible on Tony. He'd be nauseous for a long time, his appetite would be gone for several days, and he'd have a headache that nothing could touch until the medication was out of his system.

"The doctor fixed your leg," Jethro said conversationally. He sat down on the edge of Tony's bed, being careful not to jostle the little one. "It'll be good as new in no time."

Tony blinked heavily several times and then squeezed Jethro's hand. "Hurts," he whimpered pitifully.

"I know it does," Gibbs said regretfully. With his other hand he gently pushed Tony's hair back from his eyes. "I wish I could take the hurt away."

Tony looked up at him. "Really?"

"Really," Gibbs said firmly.

Tony smiled, the lopsided smile that Gibbs had come to know and love so very much. The little boy remembered what his mean-mommy had said to him in his dream…his nightmare. He shuddered slightly and blinked his eyes hard. He needed Jethro to know how he felt…needed him to know that he really did love him…how could he do it? What could he do to show him? He was so sleepy…so tired…he just wanted to rest…but he was afraid to sleep…afraid that if he didn't show Jethro right-this-minute that he'd be gone forever when he went to sleep…he'd never find his way back.

Tony stared at this man he loved so much. Through the fog of pain and medication an idea slowly dawned on him and he smiled tiredly up at Jethro. "I love you Daddy," he said softly.

It was the first time Tony called Jethro Daddy. He'd done it. He'd finally said it. Jethro's heart leapt for joy. Overcome with emotion, Jethro scooped Tony up carefully so he didn't jar his fragile leg and he hugged him close. Tony snuggled against his daddy and a moment later he was asleep again. "I love you too Tony," he said, kissing the top of the boy's head.

TBC…


	7. Expressions

_Special thanks to Gotgoats for your help with this chapter! You rock! ( \ ) ( | ) ( / ) _

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 7: Expressions**

Shannon paced the waiting room. She wondered what was taking so long and why she hadn't heard from Jethro about how Tony was doing. JoAnne was sitting on one of the uncomfortable chairs flipping through a magazine and watching her daughter. The pacing was incessant and JoAnne finally lowered the book.

"Shannon. Darling. Go see him."

"But they said only one at a time and Jethro's back there and—"

"And you're a nurse in this hospital," JoAnne said gently. "They won't fuss at you. Go see your boy. We'll stay here with Kelly." Maddie and Myra had gone home an hour or so earlier. Kelly had opted to stay at the hospital in hopes of getting to see her brother.

The young mother took a deep breath and looked longingly at the door. "You're right," Shannon said. "You're right. I'll be back." She headed down the hall without a backwards glance.

Shannon waved at her friend, Julie, who was working on the ward as she passed by her. "I was wondering if that was your husband I saw," Julie said.

Shannon nodded. "Our son had surgery this morning and he's in with him. I'm making sure they haven't escaped," she smiled.

Julie chuckled. "They're in the cubicle with the blue curtain down there," she pointed.

Shannon nodded and thanked her. She stepped softly down the hall to the tiny cubicle with the blue curtain and paused only for a moment before pulling the curtain open. She smiled sadly when she beheld the scene in front of her. Jethro was sitting very close to the edge of the small bed, his child's small hand wrapped up in his own larger one. Tears streamed down her husband's face and his gaze never left Tony's face.

Feeling her stomach twist at the sight, Shannon took a step inside. "Jethro?" He looked up. "Are you alright? Is Tony alright?"

Jethro sniffled hard and nodded. He rubbed a hand over his face, wiping away his tears. Shannon brushed her fingers over Jethro's shoulders. "He's doing great," Jethro said softly. "He's in some pain, but he's ok. Been resting. He's coming out of the anesthesia just fine."

Shannon nodded, still confused about why he was so emotional. "Are you alright?"

Jethro looked up at Shannon and after a moment beamed. His smile was one of the brightest she'd seen in…in a very long time. "He did it," Jethro whispered, rubbing his hand up and down Tony's arm. Tony shifted slightly but didn't wake.

"Did what?"

Jethro smiled and kissed the back of Tony's hand. "He called me Daddy, Shan…he finally said it!"

Shannon smiled, and hoped that it wasn't simply a reaction because of the medication. "That's wonderful honey!" she exclaimed softly. "I know you're excited."

Julie poked her head inside their cubicle. "How's our boy?"

"He's starting to wake up more," Jethro said, looking at Tony who was rousing more now that they were talking around him.

Julie checked his vitals and nodded. "Go ahead and see if you can get him to wake up. Call out to him."

"Tony? Tony wake up buddy," Jethro said.

Tony blinked his eyes open once, smiled at Jethro and then dozed back off.

Jethro smiled. "He's done that a few times."

Julie smiled. "Good. Tony? Tony can you wake up sweetie? Open your eyes?"

Tony snored once and didn't move this time.

Shannon smiled. "Let me try," she said softly. She rubbed Tony's good leg and squeezed his hand. "Toooooonyyy," she called. "Wake up sweetie-pie…c'mon Tony…open those big eyes for Mommy, come on."

This time Tony blinked his eyes opened and Shannon grinned when she watched his slightly crossed eyes straighten out and he blinked sleepily.

"There you are," she said with a smile, her voice still quiet. "Hi Baby!"

Tony yawned deeply and smiled dopily. "…'i…Mommy," he mumbled. His eyes slid shut.

"Ohhhh no," Shannon said. She rubbed her knuckles lightly over Tony's chest and the little boy blinked his eyes open and scowled at her. "Can you stay awake for me? Talk to me for a minute?"

Memories of the scary nightmare he'd had washed over him and Tony's eyes filled with fear. He blinked heavily, too tired to handle such high emotions, and nodded slightly.

"Tony?" Jethro moved closer. "Tony you ok?" Shannon and Jethro shared a look. The little one looked terrified.

"I…I's a stay…'wake…" Tony murmured. "I…I's scared…a…sleep."

The parents shared a nervous look. "Why are you scared buddy," Jethro asked softly. He brushed Tony's hair back. Shannon moved around the bed so they could each be by his side. "Talk to Daddy. What's wrong?"

Tony blinked and his mouth squenched up slightly. Tears began to fill his eyes and two large tears spilled down his cheeks. Shannon thought her heart was going to break.

"Awww honey," she said, grabbing a tissue and wiping his face. "Talk to us baby…what's wrong? Why are you scared to sleep?"

"I…where…my mean-mommy?"

Shannon closed her eyes and Jethro muttered a soft curse. "She's gone Tony. She died remember? She can't hurt you anymore," the young parents assured the small child.

But Tony shook his head, not convinced. "She…I saw…" he looked around. "How I…gotted outta…my room inna…inna garage?" Tony swallowed hard and blinked heavily, still so tired and sick from the anesthesia.

Jethro pushed Tony's hair back and carefully kissed his child on the forehead. "You were dreaming son," he assured him. "Your mean-mommy died. She's gone. You were dreaming. You're awake now and here with me and Mommy and you're going to be just fine. You had your leg fixed remember?"

Tony thought for a minute and blinked heavily. Then he nodded. "I…I's forgotted," he said softly, and swallowed hard again. His face took on a decidedly green color and Shannon reached for a small plastic spatter pan. Jethro helped lift his shoulders and the child vomited again. This time his body heaved much harder than it had before and it jarred his little leg and he cried out in pain.

"Ok ok easy," Shannon whispered, wiping her child's forehead with a cool damp rag. "Shhhh it's alright, shhhh we've got you."

But the pain in his leg was overwhelming and Tony found himself whimpering and crying softly, begging his daddy to please make it stop hurting, asking his mommy for help, whispering soft pleas and shifting frequently, quite uncomfortable. Julie narrowed her eyes in concern. "I'm going to get him something for the pain," she said softly and disappeared.

So caught up in trying to console their hurting child, the Gibbses neither one noticed that the nurse had left, nor did they notice when she came back. She inserted the syringe into the IV port and a moment later, Tony sank back. He calmed instantly, blinked heavily several times before he sighed and fell asleep.

"Jesus," Shannon said, taking a step back. "You know…I see stuff similar to this all the time…sick babies, injured kids…I see it all the time…it's so different when it's your own kid…I'll never get used to it. I hope I never have to get used to it…"

xxx

Tony had a rough first night after his surgery. He was in a considerable amount of pain, frightened of the demons that were haunting his sleep, fearful of being left alone, and was nearly delirious thanks to the narcotic painkillers the medical staff had eventually had to resort to giving him. With the sunrise the next morning though, it seemed that everything had finally fallen into place and Tony was able to find some peace. He snored lightly as Jethro quietly showered and dressed in the hospital bathroom. Shannon had offered to stay, but Tony had adamantly insisted that _his daddy _not leave him.

Shannon was going to come and sit with Tony for a while today while Jethro and Jackson worked on the ramp for the front steps. Over dinner in the cafeteria the night before, they'd made a rough sketch of how they needed to build it, how they wanted it to look, what type of wood they wanted to use. It had been years since the two had worked on a wood project together, and despite the unfortunate situation, Jethro was eager to spend the time with his father, sanding the wood, nailing the boards, making something out of nothing…something special.

Jethro settled into the chair beside Tony's bed while he waited for everyone to get there. Jackson, JoAnne, and Kelly were going to come with Shannon to visit Tony. Honestly though, Jethro was hesitant to let everyone in to see him…he was finally resting, sleeping so well…it seemed a shame to wake him up—if they even could. Plus the medications made him so loopy, he'd babbled incoherently and giggled uncontrollably until the early morning hours. Thankfully he hadn't had any night terrors or hallucinations this time, but they were watching him closely to make sure that didn't happen.

A soft knock on the door drew Jethro's attention. Shannon opened the door and poked her head inside and Jethro motions her in with his head and motioned for her to be quiet. Shannon looked back in the hall and said something so quiet that Jethro couldn't hear her, and then came in the room alone. She shut the door softly.

"How's our little man doing?"

Jethro shook his head. "He had a really rough night," he said quietly. "Those drugs…geez Shannon he has such a hard time with narcotics. He sat up giggling at me and babbling about the pattern on the blanket for half the night. He finally, finally dozed off about four this morning, and he's been resting ever since." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Isn't there something else they could give him?"

"Dr. Trexler is supposed to come by this morning. I'll see if he thinks that Tony's usual medication would be strong enough to handle the pain he's in."

Jethro nodded. "Good idea," he agreed. He looked at the door. "Everyone out there?"

Shannon nodded. "Oh yeah," she said. "They're all eager to see our brave little guy."

Jethro nodded. "I'll let you decide what you think about everyone visiting. I think he's finally resting, and we should let him rest."

Shannon nodded. "I agree," she said. "Everyone got to see him the night before. Today's going to be a hard enough day…I think I'll tell everyone they can see him later."

Jethro stood up and stretched. He leaned over and lightly kissed Tony's forehead. "Love you little one," he whispered in his ear. Tony yawned and shifted just slightly. "I'll be back later. I'm going to go build you a ramp. Mommy's with you. You're safe," he said quietly.

Raising up, he turned to his beautiful wife. "Mrs. Gibbs I love you so much," he said softly, drawing her into an affectionate embrace.

Shannon rested her head against her husband's chest. She smiled, listening to his heartbeat, smelling the gentle fragrance of her dear partner's aftershave. "I love you Mr. Gibbs," she said softly. "You've been so wonderful, so brave, so amazing." She looked up at him and he raised an eyebrow at the fire in her eyes. "I think it's so sexy," she smiled.

He grinned and a light blush pinked his ears and cheeks. "Didn't do anything special," he mumbled shyly.

The look on Shannon's face told Jethro that she thought he'd done something very special indeed. And with any luck…well maybe there would be a reward for his supposed good behavior at a later time.

xxx

Jethro measured each board very carefully, cutting it precisely at the correct angles and lengths. He worked hard in the blistering heat for an hour or so without saying a word. There was stress in his lines, desperation in his movements. It almost seemed as though he was racing to get the ramp built—there was a franticness to his movements. From a few feet away, Jackson watched his son. He was concerned for him—he'd only seen the boy like this one other time…years earlier when Ann had died.

Stepping forward, Jackson put a hand on Jethro's arm. "Hey," he said softly. Jethro stopped, but didn't look up at his father, his gaze instead remaining focused on the board in his hand. "You wanna talk about it?"

A snarl curled Jethro's lip for only a second before he bit it in favor of spitting out a biting remark. He took a deep breath and it came out as a shuddery sigh. He was not going to lose it like this. Not now. Not in front of his dad. He needed to stay focused. He needed to get the ramp done. The sooner the ramp was finished, the sooner Tony could come home. His poor, broken, hurting little—

"Leroy."

There was no response. Jethro didn't even blink. Jackson took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his son's arm slightly. "Listen to me son. Look at me."

This time Jethro turned to look at his father, frustrated because he'd been stopped, frustrated because his father was going to make him talk. He _hated _talking.

"What."

"Leroy don't do this."

"Don't do _what_?" The snarl deepened a bit.

Jackson's gaze was level and even. "Don't beat yourself up over something that isn't your fault."

And just like that, Jethro's anger was gone. It was replaced by a sense of helplessness. He was always in control, he was smart, he was a planner, he always made sure everyone came out alright. But this time…this time it was _Tony._ He was hurting. He was broken. And Jethro…Jethro couldn't fix it. He couldn't make it better. All he could do was build this damn ramp…

"Leroy. Are you listening to me?"

Jethro blinked and looked up at his dad. The anger on his face vacated and his eyes were left empty and hollow. Jackson steered him carefully to the steps nearby and helped him sit. Then the father sat next to his son and put an arm around his shoulders.

"You can't do this, son. You can't beat yourself up over what that asshole did to his child. All you can do is not make his mistakes."

Jethro turned a shocked expression to his father. "I'd never…Dad I wouldn't…"

"Shhhh I know," Jackson placated gently. "I know you would never hurt him. You couldn't do it if your life depended on it."

"He's been so broken for so long Dad…since we found him…his broken leg was the reason we even noticed him in the first place…He's been hurting for so long…"

"But you're helping him. You are the reason he is safe. You have given him life. Where would he be otherwise? What would have happened to him if you hadn't found him?"

Jethro visibly shuddered at the thought of the things that could have happened to Tony…the dog in the alley that tried to attack him, the way he was starving so badly, how injured he was…Jethro put his head in his hands.

Jackson tightened his grip around his son's shoulders. "Let it out now. He's safe. He made it through his surgery. He's doing just fine. And we're going to build him a ramp that will help him. What else could we do to make this better for him?"

Jethro steepled his hands in front of his face and thought for a moment. Ideas began to form in his mind and a smile began to tug at his lips. He would not be beaten by this tough time. He was Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He did not cower down in the face of adversity. He was a planner. He was always in control. And with his father to help him, he'd be completely unstoppable.

"Let's work on this ramp Dad. Once we get it done, I've got an idea for the living room."

Jackson watched as his son stood up, much calmer than he'd been only moments before and smiled. This was his son. This was what he did, how he handled things. He'd be just fine and he'd make sure Tony was just fine too.

xxx

Jackson ran the sand paper over the grain of the wooden rail one last time. It was rubbed smooth—there would be no splinters for anyone who touched this railing. Jethro was down on the grass, cleaning up. They'd worked together quickly and efficiently. It was only just after lunchtime. Jethro wanted to go see Tony, but he knew from speaking with Shannon not long ago that Tony was doing just fine, had been sleeping for most of the day, and was still in a great deal of pain.

"What do you have in mind for the living room, Leroy?" Jackson wiped his hands on a rag and then used the rag to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Jethro smiled and motioned for his father to follow him. He walked into the house and into the kitchen. There was a magazine on the table, opened to a blueprint. Jethro had been looking at this plan before Tony took his fall, considering building it for his son to help him be more comfortable after his surgery. Jethro just hadn't realized he'd need it so soon. He pushed the magazine over to his father and smiled.

"Do you think we can build it in time?"

"It's quite an undertaking…But I think we can do it."

"I think you can buy boards that are precut to the right size," Jethro said. He shrugged. "I think we can do it. I think we should at least try."

Jackson smiled and nodded. "Well then we need to grab a quick bite of lunch, go buy the wood and get to work. This will take us a while."

They were far from finished by dinner time, but both were confident that the next day they'd have all of their projects completed. Jethro made a call to a local store to make sure that they had what he'd need to finish up his little project and was delighted to find that they had exactly what he was looking for. Jackson and Jethro made plans to go pick up the finishing pieces on their way home from visiting Tony that evening.

Jethro ran upstairs for a quick shower and while he was doing that, Jackson heard a car pull in. Glancing out the window, he saw that Kelly and JoAnne were home. She'd taken the little one out for the afternoon, spending the day with her. The little girl was beaming from ear to ear and Jackson shook his head and chuckled as the grandmother pulled shopping bag after shopping bag from the trunk of the car.

Kelly bounced into the house and her eyes were round by the time she reached the living room.

"Where'd our stairs go?" Kelly's face was a mask of surprise.

"Well we built a ramp so that Tony can get up and down while he's in his wheelchair, Ladybug," Jackson said with a smile.

"He's going to be in a wheelchair?"

"Oh yes. Do you remember how his leg looked?" Kelly nodded. "Well it would be impossible for him to walk on that leg like that, don't you think?" Kelly nodded again.

JoAnne came in with the bags in hand. "Good Lord you two have made quite a mess this afternoon," she observed. Even though they'd cleaned up the majority of the mess it still looked a bit like a construction zone in the living room.

Jackson chuckled at JoAnne as she struggled with all of the bags. "You look like you've wreaked havoc on the whole town!" he exclaimed.

Jethro came down the stairs. "Hello," he greeted everyone.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Kelly squealed in excitement and all but climbed her daddy.

Jethro snatched her up and gave her a warm, loving, welcoming hug. "Hi Princess," he smiled at her. "Did you have a fun afternoon with Grandma?"

"Oh yes we had the most fun day ever! We went shopping and Grandma bought me some new clothes! And some new books! And then we went to the salon and I got my fingernails done—a real mandy-cure Daddy!—and then they did my toesies too! I got a potty-cure!"

Jethro's eyebrows raised and he nodded. He hugged Kelly again so she wouldn't see him chuckling at her. Potty-cures. Geez kids said funny things sometimes. Kelly squirmed down and grabbed her Daddy's hand, dragging him over to the bags to show him all of the new things she'd gotten. A pretty sun dress, some play clothes, a new doll for her, and then she stopped and smiled softly.

"I got this for Tony," she said softly. She pulled out a fossil building kit. "Do you think he'll like it Daddy? I know he doesn't feel like doing it right now, but Grandma said he's going to have to sit for a long time—like maybe for the whole summer! I thought maybe he would like to build dinosaurs while he waits…"

Jethro hugged his daughter. Over her head he smiled and mouthed "Thank you" to JoAnne who smiled and nodded back.

Kelly pulled away and took in the mess on the living room floor. "Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"What is it Baby Girl?" Jethro asked.

She looked up at him. "What are you building for My Tony?"

Jethro smiled. He loved how she called Tony that. "I'm building him a bed to use down here. It can stay in the living room here once Tony gets better—it'll fold up into a couch." He showed her the picture in the book.

Kelly smiled and clapped her hands excitedly, jumping up and down. "Is it a surprise?"

Jethro nodded. "Big surprise—he's got the ramp, and the couch bed, and I'm going to build him a lap tray too."

"What's a lap tray?"

"Well it looks like this," Jethro showed her the picture drawn on the napkin. "And it sits over your lap while you're in bed. I'm going to build this one special so it will fit over the external fixator on Tony's leg."

Kelly smiled. "Can I help you build it?"

Jethro nodded. "I'd love for you to help me. You can paint the lap tray if you like. I bet he'd like a picture on it. Would you like to do that?"

"Can I help you nail it together too?"

"Well I'm going to try to use more glue and less nails. But you can help me sand?"

"YAY!"

Kelly looked around again. "Daddy," she said, her tone entirely different.

"What is it?" he glanced at her.

Kelly folded her arms and looked pointedly at her father. "Mommy's gonna ground you for making such a big mess!"

Jethro chuckled. "Well you'll have to help me clean it up before she comes home," he said.

Kelly looked at him for a long moment and then narrowed her eyes. She walked up to her daddy and put her hands on each of his cheeks. "Ok Mister," she said and narrowed her eyes. "But you so. owe. me."

Down the hall, Jethro could hear the grandparents laughing at them.

TBC…


	8. Priss and Police Cars

_Thanks to Gotgoats for your help with this chapter (she named my OCs for me) and for being such a great beta—I swear betaing for me is a full time job! Love ya dude! Pbbbbbbbbbt _

**Warning: **Senior!

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 8: Priss and Police Cars**

It was a lovely day in the courtyard. The sun was warm but not too hot, the humidity was kind of low for a change, and there were birds singing. The sound of a basketball bouncing on blacktop echoed around and even the high stone walls with the tops ringed in barbed wire didn't look quite so austere in the summer weather.

Luger stood with his back leaned against the tan colored brick building. One leg was bent and his foot was resting on the wall. One hand was in his pocket, the other was holding a cigarette lighter to the smoke in his lips. He was thin as a rail, his naturally tanned skin was a shade or two paler than he'd like to be, and his eyes were dark, beady, and tracking a monster across the yard. His dark hair was pulled back into a greasy knot at the base of his skull and his three day old stubble made his jaw look even more defined.

He'd been in the prison there for nine years. Luger was a member of one of the big gangs in LA and he'd had the unfortunate circumstance of having a police officer run into the blade of his switchblade seven times. Well…that was what he told the cops. And his lawyer. And the judge. And the jury. But for some reason, they only heard that the police officer had been stabbed by him until he'd died.

Really it was all a big misunderstanding.

Luger still had connections on the outside. He'd get hookers sent in for conjugal visits, his "little brothers" would bring him dope from time to time, and every now and then, when the situation arose, Luger would put his boys on the task of seeking out information for him. A little detective work here and there kept their senses sharp and their reflexes quick. So about a month ago, Luger sent these kids out with the task of finding out about "Priss" who lived in Moose's tank. There was something about this man…he was too pretty—too polished. There must be some sinister reason he was here—he looked like he had enough money to get sent away to the spa-prison-rehabilitation center where all the wealthy celebrities usually went.

In prison, like anywhere else in the world, information is power. And Luger liked power. He'd been intrigued to learn that Priss was in the tank for murder. When he asked for more information, the boys shrugged. The information was being kept very quiet, was difficult to come by. They agreed to keep their eyes and ears open, but they weren't sure what else they'd learn about him. They did know one thing though—his name. Priss' name was Anthony DiNozzo Senior.

Luger took a drag off of his cigarette. He didn't like the sound of DiNozzo. He was pretty and polished, but there was something shifty in his eyes—something even a man such as himself was wary of. On his last recreation day, Luger had asked to use the computer instead of going outside. It'd been raining anyway, and Luger had no desire to sit outside in the rain getting wet for an hour. So he'd put that hour to use and he'd done some digging of his own. He'd taken a class at the community college early on in his forced vacation. And he'd learned a thing or two about how to play on the computer.

Turns out Priss wasn't just in prison for murder. He was actually in jail for several things, murder being only one of them. He had a little boy…kid had been adopted by a Marine…nice family. Turns out Priss had murdered his wife…murdered a bailiff…and abused his kid—actually shot his own child in the face in the courtroom. Luger didn't mind a little violence…and killing your wife…hell he thought that was something everyone should try at least once…but a kid…you don't mess with a kid. They're little and defenseless…sure they have snotty noses and a tendency to whine…but this guy…he'd locked his kid in the garage pretty much since he was born…and then he'd shot him…broke his leg buncha different times…the kid might be permanently disabled because of him.

And that was the crime that Luger had decided Priss needed to be punished for.

Now Luger was watching Priss out on the courtyard. He was obviously being teased and ridiculed on the blacktop because he was _really _terrible at basketball…but every time he moved to get off the court, Moose shook his head and pointed for him to go right back to the game. Priss was always close to Moose…everyone knew he'd bitched him early on.

Luger's gaze turned away from Priss only long enough to see two of his fellow gang members coming up. Ace was their resident hot head. He was the one who'd get everyone into trouble if you didn't watch him close. He was twenty-two years old and had only been in the tank for four years. He'd gotten a long sentence for the possession charges, but only because he'd laced the cocaine with rat poison…wasn't his fault the supply of cocaine had gotten low. The price had gone up, and there wasn't much extra money to afford supporting everyone's habits…so he'd stretched it a bit. He thought they were all a bunch of pussies anyways. I mean really—who dies from snorting bad coke? Ace would be in prison until he was fifty-three years old…if he lived that long. Luger had his doubts, but knowing Ace, the kid would be running the joint in another decade or so.

Knuckles, the other guy…he was a real stand up brother. Luger liked him, trusted him. He was kinda chunky…not really good at outrunning the police, but he was good at one thing—not seeing anything. Kid would lock down like Fort Knox—no information could get outta him if he didn't want it to. Didn't matter what you did to him, how much you tortured him or tried to pressure him into talking. Knuckles didn't see nothin' and didn't say nothin'. He was good people. Unfortunately for Knuckles, one of the other brothers wasn't quite so reliable…and he'd incriminated Knuckles in several drive-by shootings in the Los Angeles area. The kid wasn't talkin' any now, but he'd sure done his damage on poor Knuckles.

"Who ya watchin' Bro?" Knuckles asked as they got in close. Luger shared his lighter with the other two and soon a thick blue cloud of GPC smoke wafted around their heads.

Luger nodded his head at the blacktop. "Watchin' Priss over there," he said softly.

Ace blew a smoke ring. "He's Moose's bitch ain't he?"

Luger nodded and chuckled. "Oh yes. I heard Moose is real happy to have him a bitch again." He wouldn't pick a fight with Moose—knew he'd lose (and probably die)—but maybe Moose wouldn't mind if they played with his Priss a bit.

"What's his story anyway," Ace wondered out loud. He was put out merely by the presence of the fancy man. He didn't like new people, didn't trust them. And he figured this guy was definitely up to no good.

"Killed his wife. Killed a bailiff. Damn near killed his kid."

"Woah!" Knuckles ran his hands over his short shaved hair. "Madre de Dios, how old is the kid?"

Ace whacked his arm. "Dude why you always talkin' like you're Latino! You're not! You were born in Oklahoma! You have red hair!"

Luger rolled his eyes. "Shuddup botha ya. Kid's little. Don't think he's in school yet."

"Why that dirty sonofabitch I'll kill him myself what kinda hot shot does he think he is," Ace snarled.

"Yeah let's go get him," Knuckles chimed in, both of them ready to go pick a fight.

"You won't do nothin like that," Luger said. "We're gonna get him alright. But you two gotta play it cool. Leave him alone til it's time."

xxx

That evening at dinner, Senior was walking to his table—to his special spot right beside Moose—when Ace very nonchalantly stuck his foot out, tripping him. Quick as a flash, Ace's foot was back under the table and he glanced down at him disdainfully. "Geez asshole watch what you're doing!"

Senior picked his face up out of his mashed potatoes—if you could actually call them that—and wiped his face on the back of his hand. "You tripped me," he sputtered.

"Whatever dude, I'm sitting here eating my dinner, minding my own business." He took a bite of food. "It's meatloaf night—I fucking love meatloaf night."

Senior stood up and glared at Ace. Ace, Luger, and Knuckles all glared back. Luger cleared his throat. "You really. Don't wanna go there," he advised softly.

Knowing better than to pick a fight that would likely be three against one, Senior huffed and walked away. He sat down next to Moose who glared at him. "Who the fuck was that," he hissed.

Senior stabbed a piece of mystery-meat-loaf. "That shithead tripped me," he snapped. "And then he and his buddies denied it."

Moose glared at him. "And are you supposed to be fucking talking to anybody but me," he hissed in Senior's ear.

Senior narrowed his eyes. "What part of HE tripped ME didn't you understand?"

Moose picked up Senior's plastic tray of food and smacked him over the head with it. "You really wanna talk back to me? Really? I thought we broke you of that habit," he snarled at Senior.

Senior stared evenly at him. He knew what would happen tonight—and at this point there was no way or reason to stop it. "Sorry," he muttered.

Moose pinched his cheek. "Good boooooy," he sneered. "Now clean up this fucking mess you pig. God you're so nasty you make me sick."

Senior stood up and walked over to get a broom. As he headed back for his seat, Knuckles shot a hand out and grabbed Senior's wrist. "You're gonna pay for that," he said softly.

"Yeah I'm so far in debt for all my supposed transgressions I'm going to have people up my ass til they day they let me outta here," Senior snapped.

"Well…we can arrange that…if you like," Ace said with a sharky smile. "I'm here for the next three decades or so…would be nice to have some guaranteed entertainment."

Senior walked back to his table without another word. Those guys didn't like him…he didn't know what he'd done to provoke such animosity towards them, but now he needed to keep a low profile and not attract their attention anymore if he could help it. And he'd managed to piss off his "roomy" in the process. He cleaned up his mess and then headed back to his cell. Maybe, with any luck, Moose would fall asleep before he could exact his punishment.

xxx

Over the next few days, Senior grew quite paranoid. It seemed no matter where he went, one of those three guys was there, ready to bully and torment him. If he went to the showers, one of them was there. If he went to the courtyard, usually all three of them were there.

Each person in the prison, except the maximum security unit guys, were assigned a job. Senior's job was working in the laundry department. He made sure all of the sheets and blankets were washed, and made sure that there were fresh towels for showers on shower days. Senior didn't particularly enjoy the job, but it got him out of his cell, and since Moose had been assigned to work Grounds, it gave him a much needed respite from the abuse each day.

On Friday morning, two days after Tony had his leg operated on, Senior was leaving the laundry facility when someone threw a blanket over him from behind. Arms wrapped around him from the back, preventing him from struggling, and a hand clamped tightly over his mouth and pinched his nose, shutting off all of his air. Senior kicked and groaned, struggling as best as he could against his unknown assailants. A sheet was torn into strips and used to bind him tightly—the sheet was tied over him, and his hands and feet were bound.

Senior gasped when he felt his pants being cut with a knife, torn away in shreds and discarded. When the sexual assault started, Senior whined and cried, begging and pleading for the abuse to stop—because this was much worse than anything Moose had ever done…once they were finished with him they started kicking him and punching him. Eventually Senior passed out, praying that perhaps he'd die from this and not have to face this punishment anymore. Luger shook his head when he saw Ace and his switchblade carving something into Senior's leg…just deep enough to form a permanent scar.

At the end of the laundry shift, the other prisoners shut down the facility. They walked past the beaten, huddled lump in the corridor and some of them even gave him a courtesy kick for being in the way. Each prisoner went back to his cell, and went on to dinner. Not one of them said a word about their comrade being in trouble. They didn't know if he was alive—didn't particularly care, either. They'd all read the word carved into Senior's leg. It was no secret around the tank—everyone knew who "PRISS" was.

Later a couple of guards found him. Once his assailants had beaten him unconscious, they had used their knife to cut a slit in the blanket to access his head. They'd cut his hair with the knife, leaving cuts in his scalp and clumpy locks of ragged hair. He was bleeding from multiple places along his body.

"Holy shit," one of the guards said. He stood up and looked around. He pulled out his radio. "I need medical to meet me in Corridor B near the Laundry Facility. We have a prisoner in distress. Bring a stretcher."

The other guard walked up to the Laundry Facility, but it was dark and empty—closed for the day. He walked back to the bloody lump in the floor and shook his head grimly. Medical arrived and they loaded Senior up on to a stretcher and took him to the Infirmary where they spent hours patching him up. He had a pretty severe concussion, but no skull fractures or brain damage that they could tell. He was deeply unconscious though, and unable to tell who his attackers were.

The medics looked at each other and the guards and shook their head. It was difficult to predict whether Senior would survive his attack or not. It would be best, they decided, to notify his next of kin.

xxx

Jethro, Jackson and Kelly were on the back porch painting Tony's new lap tray when the phone rang. "You keep painting, Kells, I'll be right back," Jethro said. He stood up and walked inside. Tony was coming home tomorrow and everyone was very excited, but no one was more excited than Tony. He was still in a fair bit of pain, but they were carefully managing it, and had weaned him from the narcotics without any problems.

Jethro picked up the phone thinking it may be Tony or Shannon calling. "Hello," he answered.

"_Hello, I'm trying to reach Anthony DiNozzo Junior,"_ the voice on the other end said. Jethro's eyes narrowed. He didn't know who this was or why they'd be trying to reach his boy.

"There's no one here by that name," he said politely. Damn right there wasn't—they changed Tony's name first chance they'd gotten.

"_Do you know where we might reach him? I am calling from the California State Prison System…we are housing one, Anthony DiNozzo Senior, and he has listed Anthony DiNozzo Junior as his next of kin—and gave this phone number."_

Jethro was furious. "I can take a message," he said through clenched teeth.

"_Thank you sir. Could you please just let him know that his father was injured at one of our facilities? He's listed in critical but stable condition."_

Jethro blinked and a feeling of satisfaction rose in him. He tried unsuccessfully to push it back down. "What uh…what happened?"

"_We are still conducting an investigation, but it looks like he was possibly attacked by another prisoner or group of prisoners."_

"Thank you for calling," Jethro said.

"_Will you give that message to Mr. DiNozzo for us?"_

"I will make sure the right people hear it," Jethro said.

Jethro hung up the phone and stood there for a moment, hand on the receiver, trying not to feel so damn happy about the news he'd just gotten. He grabbed a pack of Oreo Double Stuffs and headed back to the back porch.

"Who was on the phone Daddy?" Kelly wanted to know. She was painting a rainbow on Tony's tray and didn't look up from her design when she spoke.

Jethro glanced at his father. _We'll talk later._ "It was no one honey," he said. "A wrong number."

xxx

That evening Jethro headed to the hospital. Shannon was going to take Kelly out for dinner and they were going to go see a movie together. The grandparents were going to grab dinner together as well (surprising Jethro and Shannon quite a bit), and Jethro wanted to go spend some time with his boy. He'd not been around much the last couple of days because he'd been working on the ramp and the futon-style bed, and the laptray, but he'd made a point each morning to stop by and a point each evening to go see him as well.

Tonight Jethro was going to spend the night with Tony. He'd be with him until it was time to go home tomorrow.

Tony was napping when Jethro entered the room. Kelly bounced on her feet and waved at Shannon who motioned for her to stay quiet and waved back. Jethro kissed his girls goodbye and sent them on their way.

"We need to talk," he told Shannon as she headed for the door.

Shannon looked at him curiously. "Ok. Tonight?"

Jethro shook his head. "It isn't that important," he assured her. "But I need to tell you about something."

Shannon looked uncertain but nodded. "Come on Kelly," she said. "I know the perfect restaurant for us—they serve snails and rutabagas for dinner every night."

"Mooommmm," Kelly groaned. Jethro and Shannon chuckled and he smiled until he couldn't hear them anymore. His girls were wonderful.

He turned to Tony—who was also wonderful. Jethro didn't know what he'd done to be blessed with such a great family, but he was, and he was grateful for it. His little boy was still sleeping, but he was pleased to see the IV was gone and the swelling in Tony's leg looked a bit like it was not as bad as the day before.

Suddenly restless and wanting to avoid turning on the television and waking up his sleeping child, Jethro looked around for something to occupy his hands with. He smiled when his gaze settled on the box of crayons and coloring book on the rollaway table. Pulling it quietly over to where he was sitting, Jethro opened the book. He smiled when he saw the pictures were full of fun shapes and lots of geometric spaces to color in.

He selected one that looked like a mosaic picture of a sailboat and set to work coloring his picture. He colored each tile individually and lost himself in the process. It had been a long time since he'd colored a picture in a book like this. He sketched things he wanted to build, and occasionally he and the kids would sit down with blank paper and a box of colored pencils and he'd draw, but to just relax and color…Jethro didn't know how long it had been.

"Now let's see…" he murmured to himself, looking for the right shade of blue to make the shadow around the bottom of the boat.

"Seeeee wha?"

Jethro turned around and smiled when he saw Tony staring sleepily at him. "Hi buddy!" he turned his full attention to Tony, the picture forgotten. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"M…Mommy go…a Kelly?" Tony yawned.

Jethro smiled. "Sure did," he said. "Tonight I'm going to stay with you. We'll spend the whole night together. How's that sound?"

Tony smiled. "You's a read me a towy?"

"You want one now?"

Tony shook his head. "No…a fore I goes a sleep. Silly Daddy," he grinned.

Jethro chuckled. "Silly Daddy huh? I'll show you silly daddy," and he tickled his child's rib just slightly.

Tony squealed in laughter. Jethro didn't tickle too hard because he didn't want to make Tony jerk and hurt his leg. "I's been missing you all day!"

"I missed you too Bud," Jethro said softly. He was so blessed. "I missed you too."

xxx

The next day was filled with activity. The doctor and nurses started early, poking and prodding, asking questions, and beginning the process of sending Tony home. They promised to try to have him out by lunch time. Jethro figured they'd be doing good if they made it home in time for dinner. By midmorning, Tony was losing his sense of humor about the whole process. He was tired, he hurt, he didn't feel good, he didn't want to answer any more questions, and he just wanted to go home. After another riveting round of questions about how bad he hurt, where he hurt, if he felt like he was going to be sick, and on and on, Tony looked pleadingly at Jethro.

"Ok I think Tony needs a break," Jethro said to the nurse.

"Well we can let him rest in just a little while but for now—"

"That wasn't a suggestion," Jethro growled at her, his gaze darkening. "He is hurting and he wants a break."

The nurse nodded and disappeared from the room. A moment later she came back with a cup of pink gooey looking liquid. "Here's you something to take the edge off of that leg, Sweetie," she cooed to Tony.

Tony looked at the cup and glared at the nurse. Why wouldn't they just let him go home? Mommy and Daddy always gave him his medicine in the tube and he could suck it out. These people always used the cup, and Tony's little tongue wasn't quite long enough to get it all out. He reluctantly took his medicine and the nurse left to go bother someone else.

Jethro settled on the bed with Tony and the little boy rested his head on his Daddy's leg. He was quiet for a long moment, and Jethro could tell something was bothering his son.

"You ok?" his voice was soft in the quiet room. All of the equipment had been taken off so the various noises had all ceased.

Tony nodded against Jethro's leg and stayed quiet.

"Not sure I believe you," Jethro said, rubbing a hand up and down Tony's arm.

"Daddy…" Tony sighed heavily, "why my mean daddy have a hurt me?"

Shannon had told Jethro that on several occasions during the past couple of days Tony had experienced some pretty wicked nightmares about Mean Daddy.

Jethro sighed and ruffled Tony's hair. "I don't know," he said softly. "I wish I did, but sometimes mean people just do really bad things. And they sometimes think that doing it to a kid is better because kids can't really fight back. The important thing to remember is that _they _are the ones who are doing wrong. You and other kids like you are not the ones who are doing wrong. This wasn't your fault, baby boy."

Tony was quiet for a long moment. Then he yawned. "I like that you my Daddy now," he said softly.

Jethro smiled. "I like that you're my Little Tony now too."

xxx

Jethro had predicted correctly when he said that Tony wasn't going to like the wheelchair. He grumbled and fussed about it, but tried to keep it to a minimum as much as he could because he really was glad to be home. His eyes widened when he saw the front of their house, and for a moment he didn't think they had come to the right place.

"What is that," Tony whispered, his eyes wide.

Jethro smiled and put the car in park. "That is a wheelchair ramp…now you can go outside and get some sunshine and you can take Sasha for walks with me in your wheelchair."

"Where did it come from?" Tony asked as Jethro unfolded the wheelchair and began the very slow process of lifting him out of the car. Jackson was right there to help, and he lifted Tony under his arms while Jethro got him under his bottom and carefully supported his caged leg to make sure it didn't pull or jar any. Tony grimaced in pain at being moved.

"I know it hurts," Jethro whispered softly. He adjusted the small cushion under Tony's knee. "I'm so sorry."

Tony patted Jethro on the head while he worked on his leg. Jethro stopped and looked up at him. "It not your fault either," he said.

Jethro smiled and kissed his boy on the forehead. "C'mon rascal, let's get you inside. There's more surprises awaiting you!"

Tony giggled uncontrollably when Jethro made loud race car noises all the way up the ramp. Sasha barked happily but stopped and began sniffing the wheelchair and Tony's foot when they reached the door. Tony held his fingers down where she could lick them.

Kelly watched the boy be reunited with his dog with a hint of wonder. "Aren't you mad at Sasha," she asked Tony.

Tony blinked and looked at her, one hand still ruffling his puppy's ears. "No…why I's be mad at Sasha?"

Kelly looked at him like he'd grown another head. "She broke your leg silly! That's a pretty good reason to be mad at her!"

Tony shook his head. "No she didn't," he said softly. "My Mean-Daddy broked my leg. Sasha was just going potty and bumped into me assidentally. She didn't mean a hurt me."

Before anyone else could say anything, the sound of police cars filled the air. Jethro peeked out the window and watched as three MPs went racing by their house.

"Wonder where they are going," he said softly. "Looks like they're heading for the playground…"

"Probably those bullies are getting into trouble again," Kelly said. "C'mon Tony I wanna show you what we made for you! Grandpa will you help Tony?"

Jackson smiled and nodded and began pushing Tony towards the kitchen where the lap tray was waiting for him. He'd been very confused by the bed, but happy when he heard he didn't have to go up and down the steps all the time. Jethro promised to sleep downstairs with him so he wouldn't be alone, and that had made Tony feel much better.

Jethro peeked out the window again as the children left the room and glanced at Shannon. "Do you think something's wrong?" he asked softly.

Shannon joined him in looking out the window. Her gaze was grim. "I don't know," she said softly. "I don't know what it could be."

TBC…


	9. Discovery

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 9: Discovery**

It was a beautiful summer morning. Sammy woke up early and smiled. It was Saturday! His Mommy had promised him that they could go to the playground today! The little boy hopped out of bed and slung his clothes on. He hurried down the steps and smiled when he saw his Mommy in the kitchen. She was wearing her blue jean shorts and tee shirt with her sneakers on.

"Good morning baby!" Bianca smiled. "I made pancakes for breakfast! Come eat and once we're done we'll do our Saturday grocery shopping really quickly and then head up to the playground alright?"

Sammy nodded eagerly and the two tucked into their pancakes.

Once they were done eating, Bianca quickly put the dishes in the dishwasher and grabbed her cell phone and keys. They shopped very quickly—buying food for only two people didn't take very long, after all—and once they were done they dropped the food off at home and put the cold foods away. Bianca grabbed her book. She was going to stay at the playground today to make sure that no one tried to get her Sammy into trouble. She was tired of the drama.

Little did she know…the drama was only just beginning.

xxx

When they arrived at the park there were a couple of kids already there. They were friends of Sammy's and were playing on the swings. Once they saw their buddy arrive, they leapt off of the swings and ran to their friend. Bianca smiled as she watched the young boys play so happily together. They quickly decided to go to the sandbox and make a sand fort.

Bianca, satisfied that her child was entertained and out of trouble, opened her book and began to read.

_Chloe ran her hand up the length of Michel's arm, her fingertips tracing over the muscular bicep. "Oh please kind sir," she said, her voice sultry with lust and desire, "Do tell me what you plan to leave behind so that I may not forget you as you sail away on your travels?" Michel took a deep breath in, inhaling the scent of her perfu—_

"MOMMMMMMMY!" Sammy's voice shrieked suddenly, tearing her gaze away from her story. She looked up and saw the children in the sandbox, but their faces were pale and their eyes were wide. Wondering what they could have found, Bianca patiently marked her spot in her book and walked over to the sandbox.

Her eyes widened in shock when she beheld the sight. "Come over here boys," she said softly, keeping her voice as calm as possible. She herded them in front of her so they couldn't see the sight in the sandbox as they moved away, though they kept looking over their shoulders.

Bianca, Sammy, and the other two little boys huddled on the bench where Bianca had been sitting. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

_911 what is your emergency?_

Bianca hugged the whimpering children close to her. "We need the police," she breathed softly. "There's…oh my gosh I think she's dead…we're at the playground…on the Marine base. There's…there's a body…in the sandbox."

xxx

A few minutes after the police cars went racing by the house, an ambulance followed, heading in the same direction. Jethro and Shannon shared a long look. "I'm going to walk up there," Jethro said softly. "I want to see what's going on and make sure all of the kids are alright."

"Mommy Mommy! Was that more police cars?" Kelly raced back into the living room. "Tony wants to know!"

Shannon shook her head. "No baby, that was an ambulance…Daddy's going to walk up there and make sure all your friends are safe ok?"

"Can I go too?"

"No…not until we know what's going on," Jethro said. "Back in a few," he closed the door behind him as he left.

Shannon watched out the window for a few more minutes until Jethro disappeared from sight. She was curious to know what was going on.

But what could have happened on the playground?

xxx

Jethro was not the only parent in the neighborhood who wanted to make sure the kids were alright. He nodded a silent greeting to several other Marines and their husbands and wives as he made his way to the playground. His eyes widened when he saw Bianca and her son—the bully—talking to the police. He wondered if Kelly had been right—maybe Sammy was in trouble again. But Bianca looked pale and shaken and the children around her looked absolutely traumatized.

"What's going on," Jethro asked one of the moms he recognized.

She turned suddenly, surprised by his quiet arrival and then her face relaxed. "Hi Gunny," she said softly. Her husband was in Gibbs' unit. "It sounds like the kids found a dead woman in the sandbox."

Gibbs' eyes widened. Their base had always been such a safe place. "Is she a Marine?"

The lady shook her head. "They're still checking into it. She looks so young though…if she's a Marine she's a young one."

Gibbs and the other parents watched as the EMTs carefully lifted the woman onto the stretcher. She was wearing what looked to be a short skirt and a tight shirt…one of the MPs was putting a jacket into an evidence bag while another was taking pictures. The girl had long dark hair and pretty features. Her hair was a matted, tangled mess…damp with sand sticking to it. Her body looked slightly bloated and Gibbs felt his stomach turn…it had rained the day and night before. Had she been here for that long?

"Got an ID," one of the MPs called. He was holding a wallet. "She's a student up at San Diego State. Name's Ruby Jarvis."

So she wasn't a Marine…Gibbs was glad of that, but disturbed at the same time…the only way to get onto the base was with a base pass or a military ID. So that meant that _someone _on the base either knew Ruby, knew how she got onto the base, knew how she died, or was involved in any or all of the above.

Gibbs didn't want to see anymore. He said goodbye to the couple of parents he recognized and headed back down the street to the house. Shannon was not going to believe this.

One thing was for certain though. The days of the children going to the playground alone were over.

xxx

Shannon's worry increased a hundredfold when her husband reentered the house. "Where are the kids," he asked softly.

"They're playing out back with Jackson. Jethro what's going on? Were you able to find out anything?"

Jethro let out a long breath and ran his hands over his face. "You know Sammy, right?"

"The kid who beat Tony up? Yeah I know him. What'd he do?" Shannon crossed her arms.

"He and his mother and a couple of other kids…they found something on the playground this afternoon."

Taking note of her husband's slightly pale and shocked features, and the way he was so hesitant to tell her what he'd seen, Shannon could immediately tell that something was wrong. "What'd they find?" He ran a hand over his mouth and shook his head. "Jethro?"

Jethro suddenly raced off towards the bathroom, and a moment later Shannon heard him retching and heaving up his lunch. She followed him as far as the bathroom doorway, ready to ask more questions, when she heard the kids coming inside.

"Mommy where's Daddy? Is he back yet? We thought he was walking down the street, but he didn't come outside to say hello. Tony got scared and wanted to come inside. Is he back yet? Grandpa is worried too. Mommy when's Grandma getting home from the grocery store?"

The phone on the wall began to ring and Shannon ignored Kelly's multitude of questions and picked up the phone.

"Hello," Shannon said breathlessly.

"_Shannon this is your mother. What on earth is going on that the base has been sealed? I am coming in from the grocery store and the Military Police won't let me back on base and I can't find my base pass!"_

Shannon's jaw dropped. "I don't know Mother. Let me ask Jethro, hold on." She set the phone on the counter and walked to the bathroom where Jethro was rinsing his mouth out. Kelly was asking him the same questions she'd been asking Shannon a moment earlier. Jethro looked at his wife in the mirror. "Jethro…my mom is on the phone. She can't get back on base."

Jethro ran a hand over his face. "I'll go up there," he said. He made sure he had his base ID card and headed for the front door.

Shannon picked the phone up. "Mother? Jethro's coming just sit tight ok?" She listened for a moment, "See you soon." She hung up the phone and turned to her husband who was already moving towards the door.

"Daddy?"

Jethro's hand was on the knob and turned around. "Tony? You ok?" The child was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. "Do you need to lie down?"

"My tummy feels funny," Tony said softly. "Will you stay here?"

"I gotta go get Grandma," Jethro said. "And I'll be right back after that. Grandma too."

Tony wrapped his arms around his stomach. "Ok," he whispered. He frowned and looked fairly miserable. "I…I'll wait til you come back."

Jethro stepped over to Tony and knelt beside his chair. "What's wrong with your tummy?"

"I…I's…It feels like…you's gonna be ok?"

Jethro blinked. He glanced over his shoulder at Shannon who looked equally concerned. "Tony? Do you feel like something bad might happen?"

Tony clutched his stomach a little tighter. "Yeah," he whispered pitifully. "I…I's sorry…"

"You're getting more like me every day," Jethro said with a smile, affectionately rubbing his boy's hair. "Sometimes I feel that way too. I do need to go get Grandma though ok? Gotta make sure she's ok and safe too."

Tony took a shuddery breath and nodded.

Jethro ruffled Tony's hair again and kissed his forehead. "You stay here with Mommy, Kelly and Grandpa, and I'll hurry right back here with Grandma."

Tony nodded, trying to be brave. Jethro stood up. "I'll be right back honey. Just a short bit."

Shannon squeezed Tony's shoulder and nodded at Jethro. "We'll be right here when you come back. Tony why don't you and Kelly pick a movie to watch?"

xxx

"Thanks Brian," Jethro said. JoAnne had pulled her car through the gate and the guards were now issuing her a new base pass. Jethro leaned against the side of his car and crossed his arms. He squinted in the sunlight and looked at his friend. "Any word about who the girl is or where she came from?"

Brian shook his head. "Not really. I heard they're calling in NCIS to take over the investigation."

"No kidding," Jethro said, his eyes widening.

Brian nodded. "No kidding," he said. "They're sending out a Major Crime Response Team."

"I'll be interested to see who she is and how she ended up on our kids' playground," Jethro said. "Any idea what Marine is involved?"

"What makes you think there's a Marine involved?" Brian's eyes were wide.

Jethro fought the urge to roll his eyes. "You gotta check in at the gate to get on base, man," Jethro said. "Someone in or related to a Marine is involved in this case. You mark my words. Otherwise they wouldn't have been able to get on base."

Tony's biological father was part of the reason the security had gotten so tight on the base. He'd snuck on base last Christmas and nearly abducted Tony from the child care center. Since that had happened, the barriers surrounding the base had really tightened down. No one got in or out without the Marine Corps knowing about it.

"Huh," Brian said. "Hadn't thought of it that way. Guess that makes sense. Well that will be interesting information for sure then."

The other guard appeared and handed JoAnne her new base pass. "Don't lose this one," Jethro said with a smile. "I'm not getting ya another one," he chuckled.

"Don't forget who my daughter is," JoAnne said sweetly. "I'm sure she could change your mind."

Jethro blushed and set his lips in a firm line. "Let's go," Jethro said. "See ya Brian."

xxx

Tony laid on the modified futon with a pillow under his leg and tried not to cry. His leg was hurting quite badly and felt itchy. Jethro had left and all of those sirens had gone rushing past not long ago. Grandma was not able to get back on base. Everything was all wrong.

The sound of more sirens rushing past had Tony rising up on his elbows and looking out the window. "Mommy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Where's Daddy?"

"He's getting Grandma. He'll be back in a few minutes."

Tony nodded and tried to concentrate on the movie. It was an old black and white film that Jackson had brought with him. Tony found he enjoyed the story and had practiced saying the name over and over again.

"Captain Hoe-ray-sheeee-oh Hornbower," Tony murmured again.

Kelly sat on the floor coloring. "Grandpa this movie is boring! Can we watch cartoons now?"

"No," Tony said. "I like it!" Then he caught himself. "I…uh…if you's wanna watch cartoons it's ok," he amended softly.

The family was quiet for a few more minutes when suddenly they heard sirens again—this time as the EMTs left the scene. Tony pushed himself up on his elbows, but one hand slowly began rubbing his stomach softly.

"Come back please come back I's a be good please come back come back please Daddy come back," Tony whispered softly. Tears filled his eyes when he didn't see Jethro's car and the sirens continued to wail. Suddenly even more sirens could be heard when more police cars went rushing past. These cars looked different, from what Tony could see. The military police cars were white with writing on them, but these new cars were dark blue.

"Mommy where's Daddy?" Tony whispered. "How's a come he's not back?"

"He'll be here in just a few minutes," Jackson assured him.

But Tony didn't believe them. More minutes past and Jethro still hadn't come back. Tony just knew something was wrong. His breathing grew harsher and faster and two tears spilled over his cheeks. His stomach started hurting worse—he just knew something had happened to Jethro! Wrapping an arm over his tummy he let out a soft whimpering sob.

Jackson slid onto the futon next to him. He wrapped an arm around Little Tony's shoulders and smiled when Tony leaned into him slightly. "It's alright little guy," Jackson said gently. "Your daddy is a smart fella. I'm sure he's just talking to someone, probably trying to get more information about what's going on. You don't worry your sweet little head about him ok?"

Tony sniffled and nodded and tried to be brave, but he just wanted his daddy to come home. The little boy closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. He smiled when he realized that Grandpa smelled like Daddy. Keeping his eyes closed, Tony pretended that he was snuggled up with his Daddy. It wasn't long before the soft lull of the movie, coupled with the pain medications and the reassuring familiar smell, helped Tony drift into a light, gentle doze.

Jethro pulled into the house a few minutes after Tony fell asleep and he paused long enough to help JoAnne bring in the groceries. "I hope Tony's alright," Jethro murmured as he unlocked the door.

Jethro and JoAnne entered the house quietly. They could hear the movie playing in the living room and as they crossed through the room, Jethro couldn't help but smile at Tony who was now sleeping soundly, his face smushed up against Jackson, and a small string of drool trickling out of his mouth.

"Looks like someone's down for the count," Jethro said.

"He's pretty upset," Jackson told him. "Go set your bags down then come let him know you're home. He was nearly inconsolable while you were gone. Poor little guy probably wore himself out. He was very concerned for your safety, Jethro."

Jethro nodded and hurried to the kitchen. Shannon was chopping vegetables for dinner. He kissed her hello and nuzzled her neck right under her ear. "I miss you," he whispered. "I miss you so much…why did we ever have kids," he giggled in her ear. "I love you," he kissed her neck again.

The sound of his mother in law clearing her throat drew his attention away from his wife. "I need to go check on Tony," Jethro said, refusing to blush like a teenager. He kissed Shannon on the cheek and headed towards the living room. "You are no fun," he muttered to his mother in law as he passed her.

"Agree to disagree Jethro," JoAnne said with a cheeky grin. "Agree to disagree." She winked at Shannon.

Jethro was still chuckling and shaking his head when he entered the living room. Tony was fully sprawled against Jackson now, but he was twisted to what looked like an uncomfortable angle. Jethro carefully shifted Tony and the little boy startled awake under his touch.

"Hey easy," Jethro murmured. "Didn't mean to scare you. You ok?"

Tony wrapped his arms around his daddy's neck and hugged him as tightly as he could. "I missed you," Tony said, his face pressed against Jethro's shoulder.

Jethro rubbed Tony's back gently and carefully crawled up on the futon, taking the place where Jackson had just vacated. "Let's see," Jethro said. "What're we watching…?"

"Captain Hoe-ray-sheeee-oh Hornbower," Tony said proudly.

"Yeah? You like it?"

Tony nodded. He couldn't explain what it was about the old black and white movie. Kelly was hopelessly bored, but Tony was intrigued by it. And the people in the movie were on a real life adventure! It was amazing! The actors seemed like real people—people Tony would like to meet. He yawned.

"Just relax, kiddo," Jethro said softly. "I'm not going anywhere, and Mommy will have dinner ready after while ok?" Tony laid on his back against him with his head on Jethro's shoulder. Jethro stroked his hair lightly and it wasn't long before Tony fell asleep.

xxx

Dr. Donald Mallard pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked over the body that was spread out in front of him on the table. Samples had been taken from her hair, under her fingernails, her blood, and he was in the process of finishing a rape kit on the victim. It would be important to determine if this young girl—if this child—had been sexually assaulted before her death.

He was in an unfamiliar lab though, so the job was made that much more tedious by his not knowing where all of the supplies and equipment were located. As he worked, the doors to the autopsy lab in the NCIS office in Los Angeles hissed open and Henrietta "Hetty" Lange walked in. She was the team leader of the MCRT in LA.

"Do you have any information I can share with this poor girl's family yet, Donald?"

Dr. Mallard, known to many of his colleagues as "Ducky," shook his head grimly. "No unfortunately not yet my dear. We are still waiting on a good bit of the information to come back from the lab," he said.

Hetty sighed. "We did manage to contact the girl's mother," she said sadly. "She's absolutely distraught. She'll be here tomorrow."

"I'm sure she's quite upset and in shock by this," Ducky said.

Behind them the doors hissed open again and Hetty's second in command, Mike Franks, walked in with a file in his hand. "Got some info," he said. "Managed to track down our vic's last forty eight hours before Duck thinks she died."

"Her name is Ruby, Michael," Hetty said firmly. "What did you find out?"

Mike held out the file. "Turns out our girl attended quite the party the other night," he said. "Got several students from the party who confirmed that she was there. Party was held at one of the frat houses on campus."

Hetty shook her head. "Well kids will play," she said reasonably. "Where did she go after the party?"

"That's just the thing," Mike said. "That's the last place anybody saw Ruby alive."

TBC…


	10. Asking Questions

_Thanks to Gotgoats my wonderful beta and cheerleader. Yoooo rocksh! *hugs* Love you! _

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 10: Asking Questions**

That evening, after the children were in bed and sleeping, Jethro sat down at the kitchen table with Shannon, JoAnne and Jackson to tell them what he'd learned about the incident at the playground that day.

"They found a dead body…it's a young girl…She's a student up at San Diego State," Jethro said grimly. "They don't know why she's on base or how she got here. I'm concerned because in order to get on base—even in the middle of the night, you have to have a Base ID or a Base Pass."

Shannon gasped and covered her mouth. "That means…"

Jethro nodded. "That whoever dumped her body and possibly killed her has the ability to get on base."

JoAnne took a sip of lemonade. "Well that makes sense then why they sealed the base off today," she said reasonably. "I feel bad now for the way I treated that poor guard. I was not happy with him."

"What are you going to tell the kids Leroy?" Jackson looked at his boy. "They're going to want to know, and if kids they know are the ones who found her…they're going to hear about it."

Jethro nodded and looked at Shannon. "I think we should tell them the truth. Someone hurt her and then put her there hoping no one would find her." Shannon nodded. "And I think that we shouldn't let the kids go to the playground alone anymore."

"Well that won't make Kelly happy," Shannon said, "But I agree completely. And I think one of us should always check the playground before we turn the kids loose."

"I agree," Jethro said. He looked to the grandparents. "Can you help us with that while you're here?"

"Absolutely!"

"Of course!"

Jethro nodded. "Thank you. I'm sure it'll scare the kids a bit when I tell 'em. Tony especially, since it might remind him of where he came to us from." A pained look crossed the young father's face and he sighed. "Always something, isn't it?"

The other grownups around the table nodded in agreement.

xxx

Tony had a rough night. His leg ached and he had nightmares thanks to the medications he was on. Shannon ended up in bed with Kelly upstairs trying to keep her calm and unafraid whenever Tony would cry out. Jethro slept downstairs with Tony. He fed him ice chips and had a cool, damp rag to wipe away the sweat and tears resulting from his horrible dreams.

By morning, Jethro was exhausted and Tony was still hurting. The painkillers didn't seem to be helping. Shannon came downstairs just before 7am and looked in, concerned, on her boys. "You two ok?" she whispered.

Jethro shook his head. "He's been up all night. The pain is so bad…he just can't get any relief. I've done everything I know to do," he said. Jethro sounded tense, upset…desperate.

Shannon smiled sadly. "Why don't you make some coffee and I'll stay with him," she suggested.

Jethro rolled off the futon slowly and nodded. Tony was asleep, but he was restless and moving around quite a bit. "He keeps twisting and moving," Jethro said softly. "It's really no wonder he's hurting."

Shannon eased down onto the futon and looked at her littlest. He was blinking slowly in the dim morning light. "Good morning sweetheart," Shannon said softly. "How you doin?"

"Did I's make Daddy mad?" Tony's voice was scratchy with sleep.

"Not at all baby. He's gone to make coffee. You know how Daddy _loves_ his coffee."

Tony nodded. "Tas-tes yucky," he said softly with a little shiver.

Shannon chuckled at the memory of the day Tony had gotten hold of his Daddy's coffee cup and, after getting permission, had taken a big gulp of it. He'd swallowed it forcefully, but had shivered in disgust until Jethro handed him a glass of chocolate milk to wash away the taste.

"How's your leg feeling?"

"Feels kinda itchy," Tony said. "And hurting." He bit his lip. "Hurting lots."

"After we eat some breakfast I'll clean that leg up and we'll put some new bandaids on it and wipe off the old sticky so that it doesn't itch anymore. How's that sound?"

Tony nodded slowly.

"How's your head feeling this morning?"

"It hurting too. My eye hurts," Tony said, raising a hand to the scarred temple where his father had nearly killed him with the gun.

Shannon nodded. "Ok," she said gently. "How bad is it hurting? Do you think you might be sick?"

"No," Tony shook his head slowly. "Just is hurting."

She kissed his forehead lightly. "Is there anything Mommy can get you to make you feel better?"

Tony smiled up at his beautiful mommy and his tummy rumbled. "Blueberry pancakes?" he said hopefully.

xxx

Kelly and Tony were shocked and confused when their parents explained what had happened in the playground the day before.

"Does that mean we can't go to the playground anymore?" Kelly wanted to know.

"No baby," Shannon said gently. "You can still go to the playground once they reopen it, but you will have to always have a grownup with you now."

Tony shivered and was quiet. He was propped up on the futon now, his leg elevated and his belly full of blueberry pancakes. He stared at his lap. "The lady who died," he said softly. "Did her mean-daddy hurt her too?" His bottom lip quivered slightly.

Jethro was sitting next to Tony and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "The police are still trying to find out who hurt her," he said gently.

"Are they gonna come and hurt us too?" Now Kelly's eyes were wide.

"No," Jethro said firmly. "You have me, and Mommy, and Grandma and Grandpa here. We will keep you safe. Both of you," he said, looking at Tony. "I promise."

xxx

The next day was Monday and Shannon had to go back to work at the hospital. She did her morning rounds and was reading a story to a little girl named Emily who'd been in a car accident when her pager went off.

"Oh hold on a minute Emily," Shannon said. She looked at the number and saw that it was the nurse's desk. "I have to go to the desk. Will you hold our book?" She passed the book over to the little girl.

Walking to the nurse's desk, Shannon saw her friend Natasha. "What's up?" she asked.

"Phone for you hon," Natasha said. "From a hospital up in LA."

Shannon picked up the phone and hit the button to accept the call. "Good morning, this is Shannon Gibbs," she said pleasantly.

"_Mrs. Gibbs this is Dr. Kristopher,"_ came the deep male voice on the other end of the line_. "How are you this morning?"_

"I'm well thanks."

"_Mrs. Gibbs the reason I'm calling is…I just spoke with Dr. Trexler, Tony's orthopedic surgeon. We were discussing the operation he had on his leg last week, and discussing the bone graft we have talked about doing for his eye socket in July."_

"Yes, we had to do the surgery on his leg early…he fell down some steps and it broke his leg again…"

"_That's what I understand. As I said, I spoke with Dr. Trexler, and he gave me some information that is causing me to rethink how I would like to perform my operation next month."_

"Oh? What's that doctor?"

"_Well Mrs. Gibbs, originally I had planned to use some of the bone from Tony's femur to perform the bone graft for his eye socket."_

"Right, that's what we discussed before," Shannon said.

"_Unfortunately, the bone fragments that were collected and removed during Tony's leg operation are not really in any condition to be used in a bone graft. The pieces were very small and very fragile. I am concerned, and Dr. Trexler agrees, that using those bones to create the graft might not work as well as we'd hoped."_

"So what will you do? Will you still operate? He needs that surgery," Shannon said, devastated that Tony would have to endure yet more pain.

"_What I think would work better is to insert a titanium plate,"_ Dr. Kristopher said.

"Would that change his recovery time?"

"No in fact, it would be easier for him, because we won't have to make but one incision," the doctor said.

"Alright," Shannon said. "That's good."

"_How is he doing with pain management? I remember the troubles he had with the pain medications I prescribed for him when he was in the hospital here,"_ Dr. Kristopher said.

"He had a rough first couple of days after the operation," Shannon said, "but he was on hard narcotics then. We've got him on prescription ibuprofen and Tylenol now and it seems to be working pretty well. He still has some pain, but he's not really hallucinating like he was. Some bad dreams, but he has nightmares even without the medication."

The doctor was quiet for a moment. _"Hmm,"_ he said. _"I will work on finding him a good painkiller before he has the surgery,"_ he said after a moment's thought. _"I was not happy with the way he reacted last time. It's quite traumatic, and he'll need as much rest as possible with him recovering from two operations in one summer."_

"He's going to be glad to start kindergarten in the fall to get away from all of the doctors," Shannon said with a sad chuckle.

"_I will be in touch before we do the operation. We'll need to do some measurements and pre-op stuff to help that operation be just as flawless as possible."_

"Sounds great, Doctor. Thank you."

Shannon hung up the phone and looked at Natasha. The other nurse was about five or six years younger than Shannon. She wasn't married and didn't have any children. "It's gonna be a long summer," Shannon said, shaking her head.

Natasha winced sympathetically. "Remind me never to have kids," she said.

"Oh I wouldn't trade mine for the world," Shannon said. "But sometimes life throws a bucket of water at you and you get a teacup to catch it in."

Natasha smiled and nodded. "I totally understand," she said. "Hey did you hear about that body they found over on the base on Saturday?" she asked in a low voice.

Shannon nodded. "The playground where they found her is just at the end of my street. My children are terrified."

"So sad that she died," Natasha said. "I wonder what happened?"

"That's what we'd all like to know," Shannon said.

xxx

Tony was sleeping soundly on the futon in the middle of a nice, medication induced, morning nap, when there was a knock on the door. Jethro came in from the kitchen, dishtowel thrown over his shoulder, and answered the door. Jackson was sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the living room watching one of his movies on television and looked up curiously. JoAnne was outside planting flowers with Kelly in the backyard.

"Are you Mr. Gibbs?" The girl was young, in her early twenties from the looks of her. She wore braces on her teeth and had very short, very curly red hair. The frames of her glasses were a deep purple color.

"Yes? Who are you?"

"My name is Julie Peterson," she said, extending her hand. Jethro shook her hand, but the curious expression didn't leave his face. "I'm the physical therapist. For Anthony?"

Shannon had mentioned that a physical therapist may be showing up at the house to work with Tony. But already? It was so soon!

"Yes," he said. "Please, come inside," he stepped out of the way and let her inside. He glanced mildly at the faded gray VW Bug parked in his driveway with the pink polka dots hand painted on it. "Sorry for the mess," Jethro said as he closed the door behind them. "My wife forgot to tell me you were coming by today."

"Oh that's alright," Julie said, taking note of the nearly spotless home she'd walked into. She fought down a smile.

Jethro led her to the living room where Tony was asleep, his leg propped up high on the pillows, nice and neatly bandaged.

"You don't have to wake him up," Julie said. "Today I think we'll just talk some, figure out our plan. If that is alright with you."

Jethro shrugged. He had no idea what was supposed to happen here. "Uh ok," he said with a nod. "Dad you alright to sit with Tony for a bit?"

"Yep," Jackson said with a nod. He turned the volume down on the movie a bit. "I'll yell if we need anything I can't get," he smiled.

"Thanks," Jethro said. He turned to Julie. "Let's ahhh…go to the dining room table," he said. "Probably would be easier. And then I'm close enough to hear if Tony needs me." He led the way to the next room.

As they were sitting down, Jethro heard another car outside. A moment later, while Julie was pulling out her paperwork, Shannon rushed into the house. "I'm sorry I'm late," she panted, dropping her stuff and hurrying to the dining room. "I couldn't get away!"

"We're just now getting started," Julie said. "Are you Mrs. Gibbs?"

"Yes, Shannon, please," Jethro's wife said with a friendly smile and extended her hand. "We spoke on the phone."

"Julie," the young therapist said with a smile. "Ok what I thought we would do today is work on a plan for getting Anthony back on his feet."

"Tony," Jethro said. "He goes by Tony. Won't answer at all to Anthony."

Julie chuckled and made a note. "Tony. Got it," she said, and set her pen on the table. She folded her hands neatly in front of her. "So how is Tony doing? How is his recovery going?"

"He's having good days and bad," Shannon said softly. "We're really struggling with pain management because he can't take narcotics. He has a terrible reaction to them."

Julie made a note on the file. "Has he tried bearing any weight on his leg at all since his surgery?"

"No," Jethro shook his head. "He hurts too bad. He hasn't even wanted to try. Dr. Trexler told us we could let him set the pace on that, though I think he wants Tony up and standing pretty soon."

Julie nodded. "That's what he told me too. Let's make a list of goals for Tony. That will give us all something to work towards, and we'll all be on the same page with him.

As a group they decided that getting Tony's pain managed was going to be their first priority. Physical therapy wasn't going to be effective or motivating if it hurt Tony excruciatingly every time he tried to do it. Julie volunteered to call Dr. Trexler and speak with him again about the pain medication to see if there was anything that could be done to help this poor child not hurt so badly.

Towards the end of their meeting, they heard Jackson speaking softly and a moment later heard a muffled giggle. "Sounds like someone's waking up," Julie said.

Jethro glanced at the clock. "He's been asleep for about two hours…that's about right," he said. "Would you like to meet him?"

"I'll get him some juice," Shannon said, heading for the kitchen. "Julie can I get you anything?"

"Oh no thank you," Julie said. "I'm ok."

Jethro led Julie into the living room where Jackson had moved to the futon next to a very awake looking Little Tony. "Julie this is my dad, Jackson. Dad this is Tony's physical therapist, Julie."

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am," Jackson said.

Julie stepped up to the edge of the bed. "And you must be Mister Tony," she said with a huge smile.

Tony eyed her warily, but nodded. "What's a fist-call thera-piss?" he said softly.

Julie chuckled at the mispronunciation. "I am going to help you learn to walk again now that your leg is fixed," she told him.

Tony glared at his leg. "S'not fixed," he said. "Hurt-tes more now than it did a fore we fixed it."

Julie nodded sympathetically. "Do you mind…can I touch your leg, Tony?"

Tony stared at her for a long moment before looking to Jethro for his opinion. Jethro shrugged one shoulder and nodded his head. "Alright," Tony grumbled.

"Before I do…can you point to where it's hurting? I don't want to make it hurt worse," Julie said.

Tony pointed to the spot right above his knee, right where the latest fracture was. "Hurt-tes there," he said. "But all a way up my leg and all a way down my leg too," he told her. "Even my back hurt-tes."

Julie nodded and sat down on the end of the futon facing Tony. "Then let's do this," she said. "Give me your hands." She held her hands out in front of Tony. Tony slowly put his hands inside hers. She held his hands gently and began pulling him forwards. "Am I hurting you?"

Tony shook his head no. His eyes widened when he felt the change in his back. It felt like she was stretching him out like a rubber band! He giggled. "That feeling funny," he said. "You stetching me out!"

Julie smiled. "That's exactly what I'm doing! Now let's try this. I'm going to hold your leg, and I want you to spin around so your legs are hanging off the bed, alright?" Tony looked nervous but nodded. "I'll keep my hand right here," she put her hand under Tony's ankle. "I'm not going to drop your leg," she said. "I promise."

Slowly Tony moved around, and Julie supported his leg. "You're doing great kiddo," she encouraged him. "Daddy do you think you could slide in behind him and help him stay sitting up?"

Jethro all but dove into action, ready at a moment's notice to help Tony. Together he and Julie got Tony turned so his legs dangled over the edge of the futon. Tony's good leg bent naturally with the pull of gravity, but Julie held his other leg out in front of him.

"Ok Tony I'm going to start lowering your leg a bit alright?" Tony's eyes flashed with fear. "I want you to tell me the instant it starts to hurt ok? As soon as you tell me I will stop."

Tony nodded and leaned his head back against Jethro. "Hey buddy I'm right here ok? Daddy's right here. We're gonna do this together."

Ever so slowly Julie began bending Tony's leg at the knee. She was careful to support his ankle, and after only a couple of inches, Tony whimpered in pain. "Stop," he whispered. "Hurting."

Julie immediately straightened Tony's leg back up. "Let's turn back around and you can relax. I wanted to see what kind of range of motion we're looking at," she said gently. Looking at Jethro and over her shoulder at Shannon who was coming into the room, her face turned grim. "We have our work cut out for us."

xxx

"I'll miss you," Tony sniffled into his grandpa's shoulder. The older man squeezed him a bit tighter and ruffled his hair. "I'll be back in a couple of weeks," he said. "Before you have your next surgery."

Jackson had left Stillwater quite suddenly when Tony had gotten hurt, and hadn't had the opportunity to set up coverage for his store for more than a week. He needed to fly back east to check the store and decide if he wanted to close down for the remainder of the summer or find people to cover it until he could get back.

Jethro stepped up to his dad and smiled. "Thank you," he said softly. "For everything."

Jackson embraced his son, and then pulled back and patted him on the cheek. "You don't have to thank family, Leroy. You are doing a good job. Just don't forget that, alright?"

"I'll try not to," Jethro said softly.

"If you start to forget, you just give me a ring, and I'll set you straight." Jackson smiled. He kissed Shannon and Kelly each on the cheek. "You keep your daddy in line, now Missy. You hear me?"

Kelly giggled and nodded. "I can do that Grandpa," she said.

"I know you can," Jackson smiled at her. He looked at Tony. "Little Tony you're gonna be up dancing around before you know it. Kelly won't be able to keep up with ya." Tony giggled. The older man smiled at his family. "I'll see you soon," he said.

They exchanged a round of goodbyes and Jackson turned and headed up the terminal to board his flight.

xxx

Jethro and Shannon were carefully redressing the pins in Tony's external fixator that evening when there was a knock on the door. Tony pushed himself up on his elbow and one hand moved immediately to his stomach.

"I'll get it," Jethro said. He kissed Tony on the forehead and rolled off the futon. He was glad he'd decided to go ahead and build that. It was working out beautifully for Tony.

"Who is it," Tony asked Shannon. "Who's at the door?"

"I don't know," Shannon said. "We're going to let Daddy go see ok?"

Tony's eyes were filled with fear as he watched his Daddy open the door.

Jethro's eyes widened in surprise when he saw their visitors. Suddenly a badge was stuck in his face. "Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"

Jethro nodded. "Yes…?" He glanced over his shoulder at his wife and son. Shannon's face was masked with confusion and Tony's was filled with pure terror.

The woman at his door lowered her badge. "Agent Henrietta Lange, NCIS. This is my partner, Agent Mike Franks. We'd like to ask you some questions."

TBC…


	11. Investigating

**Author's Note:** Warning: Spoilers for Daddy's Boy! Make sure you read it first!

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 11: Investigating**

Jethro looked from Shannon and Tony back to their visitors at the door. "Yes, of course. Please, come inside." He moved out of the way to grant the federal agents access to his house. "This is my wife Shannon, my son Tony," he offered introductions.

Hetty walked right up to Little Tony on the futon. "Well aren't you just the cutest thing," she said with a gentle smile. "What'd you do to your leg?"

Tony looked up at her but didn't answer. His hand was pushing on his tummy, trying to make the yucky feeling go away. It was the same yucky feeling he'd had when Jethro went to get Grandma. He glanced up at Shannon who nodded encouragingly and then over to Jethro who did the same. "It got broked," he said softly. "By my mean-daddy. Then I falled down a steps."

Hetty raised an eyebrow at Jethro. "We just adopted him," Jethro explained quickly. "He came from an abusive home. He had surgery last week to repair the breaks in his leg." He felt nervous, his gut was churning, but he didn't know why. He hadn't done anything wrong. "So um…what can we do for you? What did you need to ask me?"

Hetty smiled gently at Jethro and nodded a greeting to Shannon. "Perhaps we should take this into another room," she said softly. "Away from the children."

"NO!" Tony exclaimed. "My Jethro is my daddy! He can stay! Please let him stay!" The child pleaded. His tummy was feeling even worse now. He really thought he might be sick.

"I'm fine with talking here," Franks said, plopping down on the futon. The sudden invasion of Tony's space by this man who was threatening his family made Tony's gut twist and before he could even slap a hand over his mouth, he lurched once then heaved and vomited—all over Franks' lap.

"Jesus Christ what the hell!" Franks all but leapt off the futon. Tony was crying, horribly upset, and now terrified because he'd just thrown up all over this mean man. Shannon was grabbing the towel they'd had Tony's leg lying on while they were changing his dressings.

"I'm so sorry," Shannon said breathlessly. "Tony's medicines have given him quite an upset stomach. That and nerves…I'm so sorry," she said again.

"Now don't you worry about it for a minute," Hetty said, shooting Franks a warning look. "Mike's just…not used to kids," she said, fighting down a chuckle.

Mike shot a dark look at Tony but didn't say anything. "Yeah kid," he said gruffly. "No harm done. These pants wash easy enough." He did not look happy.

Hetty turned back to Jethro. "Could we sit somewhere? I'd just like to ask a few questions."

Jethro looked at Tony. "Can Daddy go into the dining room and talk to these people for a few minutes? You'll still be able to hear my voice."

"NO!" Tony said again, shaking his head firmly. His face was getting paler by the minute and he was very close to losing it completely.

"It's alright dear," Hetty said gently. "We can talk in here. I didn't want to interrupt you is all."

Tony looked at her with huge eyes. His gaze told her plainly that he did not trust her.

Jethro motioned to the rocking chair. "Please," he said. "Have a seat."

Hetty sat down in the rocker. She smiled at Tony. "You seem like a daddy's boy," she said. "I think you love him very much."

Tony nodded slowly. "He the bestest daddy ever," the child said.

Hetty smiled. "What makes him the best?"

Tony thought for a moment. "A cause he hugs me some and he talks to me. And he don't hurt me."

"Those are very good reasons for you to love him very much!" Hetty exclaimed. Mike, leaned against the doorway, fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"He builded my bed," Tony said proudly, pointing at the futon he was lying on. "And he and Mommy gived me a room so now I don't have to sleep on the street or in the box at my mean-daddy's house no mores."

Hetty looked at Jethro curiously. The young father looked sickened by the memory. "His biological father had a…bedroom…built for him at his home…it was in the garage. Tony calls it his box."

"Sergeant Gibbs I'd like to ask you some questions," Hetty said. She reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a small, 3x5 photograph. "Do you know this young lady?" she held out the picture for Jethro to look at.

Jethro looked at the picture. "That's the girl they found on the playground," he said softly.

"Yes it is," Hetty said. "Do you know her?"

"No, I never knew her." Jethro handed the photo back to the agent.

"She attended a party in off-base housing on Wednesday night," Hetty said. "Were you aware that there was a party?"

Jethro shook his head. "I don't party too often," he said. "The kids take up all of my free time."

Hetty nodded. She held out a piece of paper. "Do you recognize the names on this list?"

Jethro quickly ran down the list. "I know some of them," he said. "Are they suspects?"

"Not necessarily," Hetty said. "Our victim was last seen alive at this party, Gunny. Can you point out the names on the list you recognize?"

Jethro went through the list and pointed out eight people on the list whose names he recognized. "Those are all guys in my unit," he explained. Then he stopped. "Are they suspects?"

Hetty was quiet for a long moment. "Did the marines in your unit all show up for work on Thursday and Friday, Gunny?"

Jethro shook his head, "I don't know," he said helplessly, hating that he'd been kept out of the loop. "I was given paternal leave since we just got the adoption finalized. I haven't worked in two weeks," he said.

Hetty nodded and made a note. "Gunny we appreciate your help with this," she said with a smile. "We may be in touch if we need more information."

Jethro saw them to the door and told them to let him know if he could help more. Shutting the door after them, he leaned against it and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Jethro? Baby? You ok?"

Jethro took a deep breath and pulled himself together. He turned to Shannon and Tony and offered a smile. "I'm fine," he said.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah Tony?"

"Those policemans gonna make you go to the jail?"

"Those weren't police officers Tony, they were federal agents," Jethro said gently. "And no. I don't have to go to jail because I haven't done anything wrong."

"You promise?" Tony looked so scared.

Jethro looked at Tony for a long moment. "I promise," he said solemnly.

xxx

First thing the next morning, Jethro was on the phone with his CO. "Master Sergeant, I got an interesting visit last night," Jethro told him. "Two NCIS agents came to my house."

"Why?" his CO asked.

"They're investigating the murder of that girl they found up in the playground over the weekend," Jethro said. "Turns out eight of my people were among the last to see her alive."

"Christ," the man muttered in Jethro's ear.

"They had a list of people who attended a party in off-base housing," Jethro continued. "They wanted to see if I recognized any of the names on the list. Seven of them are mine. They asked me if any of them didn't show up for work on Thursday or Friday. I wasn't there, so I'll ask you, Sir. Did any of my people call out on Thursday or Friday?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," MSgt. Johnson said. Jethro could hear him digging through papers. "On Thursday your Sergeant, Matt Erickson called out sick, and so did Patty Bolen. On Friday Erickson called out again. That's all I have record of. Everyone else was at work."

"With all of this mess going on…do you think I need to return to work?" Jethro and Shannon had discussed it last night once Tony and Kelly had fallen asleep. They agreed that it might be easier for the investigating officers if Jethro was in the same location as everyone else. The sooner they could get this murder mess wrapped up, the better everyone would sleep at night.

"Gunny you've still got four weeks of leave left," Johnson told him.

"I know," Jethro said softly. "I just want to make this as easy as possible for everyone. And plus, the agents kind of scared Tony last night, showing up suddenly and sticking their badges in my face. They were nice enough, but Tony's been through a lot," he said.

"Let's give it a few more days and see if they can get their suspect list narrowed down. No need to put the cart before the horse," Johnson said. "Are you going to be in town? In case we do need to call you back in?"

"Yes sir," Jethro said.

xxx

The next day Shannon went back to work and JoAnne took Kelly to return some library books at the public library. Tony woke slowly and rubbed his eyes lazily. Jethro had the front door open and was checking the mail and when he stepped back inside from the front porch his face split into a bright smile.

"Morning Buddy!"

Tony looked at him silently for a long moment, his gaze uncertain. "Hey," the child finally said softly.

Jethro's gut clenched slightly. "You ok?"

Tony continued to stare at him. It was making Jethro slightly uneasy. "Tony? Are you ok? Your head hurting?" The child finally shook his head, one hand moving absently to his stomach.

"My head…not hurting," he said softly.

That was a relief, but Jethro couldn't figure out what was wrong. Something was definitely up. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Tony shook his head. Jethro moved to sit down next to Tony, and frowned when the child shied away from him. In all of the months—nearly a year now—since Jethro and Shannon had found Tony at the fairgrounds, Tony had only shied away from him once—and that was when Jethro first started talking to him. This was highly unusual behavior from his son, and Jethro didn't know what to do about it.

"Tony are you feeling scared?"

Tony's eyes dropped to his lap and he stared hard at his legs, refusing to look at Jethro. Jethro sighed. "Did I do something to make you feel scared?"

Tony shrugged.

Jethro relented. "Alright…I'm going to let you have some space ok? I'm still here though, so if you need me just yell ok? I'll be right in the kitchen."

Tony nodded again, and didn't say anything. Jethro sighed and stood up, leaving the room and glancing sadly over his shoulder. What the hell was going on?

Jethro walked to the kitchen and ran a hand over his forehead and tossed the mail on the counter. He didn't understand what was running through Tony's head this morning.

He walked to the phone on the counter and picked it up, quickly dialing. Jethro was no idiot. He knew when he needed help. And right now—he needed help.

"_Pediatric ICU," _Shannon's slightly breathless voice came through the phone.

"Shan?"

"_Jethro? Baby what's wrong?"_

"I'm not really sure. Something's up though…it's like Tony's afraid of me. He won't let me near him, and he won't talk to me."

"_That is weird," _Shannon said. _ "I will come home at lunch…I get lunch in about an hour. I'll come see if he'll talk to me ok?"_

"OK. I told him I'd give him some space, but I'm staying close by in case he needs something. Your mom took Kelly to the library. They aren't back yet. I don't expect them until after lunch though."

Jethro could almost hear Shannon nodding her head. _"Ok,"_ she said_. "I'll be home in about an hour. Sit tight ok? I love you both."_

"Love you too Momma," Jethro said. He hung up the phone and poured himself a cup of coffee. He sank onto one of the barstools and sighed. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

xxx

Hetty sat at her desk, pouring over a stack of reports that had her undivided attention. After her visits to the homes in the neighborhood last night—including the Gibbs' home—she'd decided she wanted more information about the Gunny and his family. She'd done her research quietly, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. She didn't think that Jethro Gibbs had anything to do with the murder of Ruby Jarvis. But there was no question that the family's story was interesting, and Hetty had an insatiable desire to learn more. And there was the fact that Gibbs knew eight of the people on their list of partygoers.

She glanced over Gibbs' service record. He'd been deployed on three different times during his nine years in the corps. His record was exemplary. He'd moved quickly up through the ranks, and was now a Gunnery Sergeant. There were commendations in his file, and notes from superiors speaking of what a good, solid, honest, hard-working, and upstanding Marine Leroy Jethro Gibbs was. Hetty had figured as much. She'd always prided herself in being a good judge of character—she could usually pinpoint someone's personality with sometimes surprising accuracy.

Flipping the page, Hetty took a deep breath to brace herself for the likely hellish reports that she would now begin studying. As interested as she was in learning about the Gunny, she especially wanted to know more about his endearing little boy with the broken leg.

As she began to read through the transcript from the day Tony testified to the judge in his chambers, Hetty felt like her heart might break. She read the child's account of the abuse and neglect he'd been subjected to for as long as he could remember. Hetty was not naïve; she was not unfamiliar with violence, abuse, or horrendous crimes. But this…this was one of the worst cases of abuse and neglect she'd ever read about.

She sat at her desk for a long moment after reading the bulk of his testimony and just let it all sink in. She tried to reconcile the information with the quiet little boy she'd met last night.

Flipping the page again, her eyes widened. "Ooooohh," she murmured. The child had returned to the courtroom where his father had managed to get the bailiff's gun. He'd shot the child—in the face—and nearly killed him. He had killed one of the bailiffs who was trying to protect the child.

Hetty slammed the file shut. "My God," she whispered. She selected the next file in the stack and opened it. This was the child's medical records. It didn't take her long to realize she needed more clarification. Picking up her desk phone, she called autopsy.

"Autopsy," came the lilting Scottish brogue.

"Donald. It is so wonderful to have you in our autopsy lab," Hetty said pleasantly. "Could I trouble you with some questions?"

"It is my pleasure to be here, my dear," Ducky said, chuckling lightly. "I am eager to meet Olivia's new baby." Olivia was the Resident Medical Examiner at the NCIS: LA office. She was currently out on Maternity Leave, and the Director of NCIS in DC had sent Dr. Donald Mallard to fill in while she was gone.

"I'm on my way down," Hetty said. "I need some clarification."

Once she got to the autopsy lab she laid the files out on Ducky's metal table. Ducky came to stand beside her. "Now my dear, what are we looking at?"

Hetty told Ducky about the Gibbs family she had met and interviewed the night before. "I am ruling Jethro Gibbs out as a suspect. I didn't think he was a suspect, but you know everyone must be ruled out. Mike and I were interviewing each of the Marines who live on the road where the crime scene is located and we met the Gibbs family. Gibbs has an airtight alibi and everyone I've talked to says he is not—and never has been—a partier. I am one hundred percent certain he did not kill Ruby Jarvis."

"Whose medical records are these?"

"These belong to the adopted son of Jethro and Shannon Gibbs. The adoption was completed several weeks ago and the little one was going on and on about how perfect his Daddy is. I just…am making sure that no one is covering for anyone else. I really don't believe that's happening, but I am leaving no angle unexplored."

Ducky looked knowingly at his friend. "There's something about the child that obviously struck your attention, Henrietta," he said gently. "You are working diligently to justify your research. What is it?"

Hetty let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't even know! He was just the most…endearing little boy I have ever seen. He's been through so much, and yet…"

"And yet he has found the strength to press on through the tribulations life has already thrown at him?" Ducky guessed.

"Yes!" Hetty exclaimed. "It's truly amazing. But I'm just not sure…I mean I am no doctor of course…I wonder what the future may hold for this little tyke."

Ducky looked over the medical records and hmmm'ed and ah-ha'ed and yes'ed for a moment. "I can help with some of that. Before we begin though, I do want to make sure that the child is out of the abusive home now?"

"Yes. His biological parents were the abusers. He was adopted by the Gunny and his wife Shannon. A lovely couple," Hetty said.

"Very good," Ducky said. "That is relieving news. Now first and foremost, the child was severely malnourished, according to the pediatrician's report from last fall. He was nearly twelve pounds underweight. That may not seem to be much, but when you should only weigh about forty-five pounds, twelve pounds is just over a quarter of his weight."

"Oooohh," Hetty said. "I hadn't considered that. He's gaining weight now though…his latest check-up with the pediatrician showed that he's gained several pounds."

"Yes, he's doing well—and the Gibbses are being smart to keep him from gaining the weight too quickly. The poor child though, will likely have some issues with food and eating all his life. Children who are so severely malnourished are often challenged by eating disorders later on—either obesity or anorexia or bulimia. I wonder if he is facing challenges even now—perhaps hoarding food or eating too fast or eating too much…it's quite tragic really. The lack of nutrition also explains the weaknesses in his bones. The attacks were certainly horrible and the levels of abuse and neglect here are just mind boggling, but I have no doubts that the malnutrition played a large role in how many broken bones the child has suffered. It may be cognizant for him to take a vitamin supplement—particularly for bone health—for years to come."

"My God," Hetty said. "I had no idea there would be such long lasting effects."

"Yes," Ducky murmured. He ran a finger lightly down the page, skimming through the report quickly. "I'm sure the child is a tad eccentric," he said. "I would wager a guess that the child likely has formed an attachment to one or both of his new parents?"

Hetty nodded. "He's very attached to the Gunny. He told me all the different ways that Gibbs shows he cares about Tony—heartbreaking, really. Things like Gibbs talking to him, hugging him, building him a bed—things any 'normal' child would take for granted."

"Yes, that information does not surprise me in the slightest," Ducky said. "I'm sure the child is quite fearful of strangers, likely does not like to have his safe space invaded—particularly by people he does not invite close…and I would wager he also has a rather unhealthy level of separation anxiety for a child his age."

This revelation caused Hetty to pause. "Oh dear," she murmured. She thought back over the night before. She recalled how fearful Little Tony had been of them. He'd been nearly silent, hand over his stomach—nerves?—and then…oh dear then he'd thrown up all over Mike…

"I wonder…" Hetty said softly.

"What's that my dear?" Ducky asked.

"When we were at the Gibbs' home last night…I'm just thinking of how the child reacted…"

"What did he do? How did he react?"

"He seemed dreadfully afraid…was very quiet…would hardly speak. He got particularly concerned when I mentioned moving to another room where we could speak with Gibbs—very upset and insisted that Gibbs stay in the room with him—even though the information I needed to ask him about was a bit graphic in its nature. Gibbs seemed reluctant for Little Tony to hear the information but at the same time, seemed more reluctant to upset him by leaving him to go with us."

"His reactions seem to be right in line with a child who has suffered abuse at the hands of a parent or guardian. So how did you handle the situation?"

"Gibbs invited us to sit down in the living room where we could talk and Little Tony could be close to his daddy. Gibbs' wife Shannon was also there."

"Did you go to the Gibbs' home alone?"

"No I took Franks with me."

"And how did Little Tony react to Agent Franks?"

Hetty took a deep breath. "He seemed quite wary of him at first, unsure of what to think it appeared. After Gibbs invited us all to sit down…Mike sat down on the couch bed where Tony was resting. He had surgery to repair a broken leg last week and is in an external fixator. Mike flopped down on the couch and the child…" she shook her head ruefully. "He threw up all over Agent Franks."

"And how did Agent Franks react when that happened?"

"Understandably, he yelled in surprise and leapt off the couch. But he recovered quickly enough and assured Tony that he was not in trouble and that he was not angry."

A thought struck Ducky. "When you left…what did you say?"

"I thanked the Gibbses for their time and told them if we needed more information we would be in touch. The same as I would do anyone I was interviewing for a case."

"Hmmm," Ducky said. He looked back to the reports laid out on the table. "I wonder."

"What? What do you wonder?"

"I do wonder if you provided enough information to give Little Tony relief that his new father was not going to be carted off to jail—as his biological father was. I wonder if you gave enough information to assuage the boy's fears of violence…I would hate for the trust so newly established to be tarnished or obliterated because of a simple interview."

Hetty gasped. She had not considered that at all. "Donald…if I didn't…if I didn't alleviate the child's unspoken fears…what do you think will happen?"

Ducky turned to her with a grave expression on his face. "My dear I fear he may become withdrawn or fearful of the Gunny."

"I think perhaps I should make some effort to help this family," Hetty said. "I think I need to do some damage control."

"Honestly that may not be a bad idea," Ducky said, nodding in agreement. "What worries me the most about this child…this family…"

"Is…?"

Ducky looked soberly at his friend. "What on earth will happen to Little Tony if Jethro Gibbs should ever have to go on deployment?"

xxx

"Natasha I'm checked out. I'll be back in an hour," Shannon called over her shoulder. "I got a call from Jethro a little bit ago and he needs me to come check on Tony while I'm on break. I'll be back soon."

"Give that sweet angel a hug from me," Natasha said. She didn't want children of her own, but she genuinely enjoyed hearing stories about the antics that Shannon's children got into. She hoped the little boy was doing ok.

Shannon hurried to her car. Her own gut had been churning ever since Jethro had called earlier. She didn't know why on earth Tony would ever be afraid of Jethro! The two of them were cut from the same mold, two peas in a pod, puzzle pieces that fit together—she couldn't fathom what could have happened that would make the little one scared of his daddy. Unless…

Shannon put the car in gear and hurried out of the parking lot. If Tony was having nightmares because of the medications, she had a pretty good theory on why he'd be feeling so scared when he woke up.

xxx

Hetty left the medical records with Ducky. She got a call that Franks had contacted one of the people from the list of party goers and went to back him up as they interviewed them. Ducky, having no bodies to deconstruct or investigate—his autopsy of Ruby Jarvis was completed—he turned his attention back to the medical records of the little boy who had seemingly stolen Hetty's heart.

Ducky read through the court transcript and shook his head in horror at the child's tale. "Oh my word," he exclaimed softly when he read about the child being shot in the face. He flipped frantically through the medical records looking for the chart and summation of Tony's hospital stay surrounding the shooting.

The medical examiner had a vast array of medical knowledge and this was one of those times in his life when he regretted that. He simply knew too much about things like this—though most of his work did not involve survivors. Ducky was almost certain the child would always have slightly brittle, easily breakable bones, and there may be some damage to the connective tissues due to the multiple twisting injuries and spiral fractures that were reported. The Gibbses had taken Tony for a bone scan at one point to understand what all had been done to him. The picture the scan painted was horrible. It spoke of a lifetime of pain and torture for this little tiny child whose only desire in life was to be loved, and to make his parents proud.

Ducky was amazed—in complete awe—that the child had so luckily stumbled onto a family to take him in. Many times a child who would have such obvious special needs was the low man on the totem pole when it came to being adopted. But this child had somehow gotten the attention of the Gibbs family, and they had immediately fallen in love with him. He was not surprised to learn that the child had a language delay—the fact that he could talk at all spoke credit to the child.

The gunshot wound to the face worried Ducky though. There would likely be some scarring, and children could be so dreadfully cruel—especially when they didn't understand. The ME wondered if there was any latent brain damage from the shooting. He was concerned that problems may arise later—perhaps in the form of severe migraine headaches, or hypersensitivity to excessive light and sound. He read in the reports that the child would be undergoing reconstructive surgery over the summer to rebuild his eyesocket.

There was a chance that the child would experience permanent peripheral blindness as a result of the shooting. It was documented in the reports that he was currently experiencing peripheral blindness on the right side of his face, but it was uncertain whether this was permanent or not.

Ducky sighed. He walked to his desk and poured himself two fingers of scotch from the bottle in his desk drawer. He drank a sad toast to the child and his family, and hoped that one day he could meet this remarkable little boy and the father who loved him so much.

xxx

Jethro elected to sit at the dining room table and read the paper. From where he was sitting, he could see Tony, but Tony had shifted so he faced the window instead of Jethro. Jethro could tell by the way Tony was lying so still that the child had fallen to sleep. The young father worried his thumbnail between his teeth while he skimmed the newspaper without reading it. What could have happened? Why did Tony seem so scared? He glanced at the clock and wished that Shannon would get home soon.

He was reading an article about the Ruby Jarvis murder investigation when he heard a soft whimper coming from the couch bed. Jethro rose from the chair and walked to the doorway. Sometimes Tony made soft sounds in his sleep. It didn't necessarily mean he was having a nightmare. A moment later the child whimpered again and shifted on the bed, causing a soft moan of pain. Jethro moved closer to the couch bed. When he saw that Tony was still sleeping pretty soundly, he shifted Tony's leg to follow the position Tony had moved into, hopefully causing him less pain.

Jethro was startled when Tony suddenly shot up in bed, his eyes wide with fear. He flinched hard away from Jethro and screeched when Jethro tried to touch him again. The sound reminded Jethro of the night they found Tony at the fair. The only other time he could recall hearing that sound was when Tony was having the bad night terrors.

"GET AWAY!" Tony screeched. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to move himself as far away from Jethro as he could.

Jethro stopped and put his hands up to show Tony that he wasn't going to hurt him. "Ok, ok easy. Easy." He heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and he really hoped it was Shannon home on her lunch break. The child's fear seemed to calm slightly and Jethro lowered his hands. "What's got you so scared Tony? What did I do? What is it?"

The front door opened and Shannon walked into the house just in time to hear Tony's loud exclamation: "You's just like my mean-daddy! Get away Jethro!"

TBC…


	12. My Name Is Tony

**ILUGreg:** No readers were harmed in the posting of this story! *Hugs!* LOL  
><strong>HPDorkFreakaZoid:<strong> You don't get to burn down my boat hahhaha!

_Thanks as always to my wonderful, fantastic, super amazing, awesome, fabulous (can y'all tell I like her?) marvelous beta! Gotgoats, I really appreciate your help. You are a rockstar! Love ya!_

_**Author's Note:**_This isn't usually my style, but I do apologize for the long delay in posting. Real life's been a bitch, I've had events to work and funerals to attend and doctors appointments, and a whole mess of stuff. But I realized almost a month has passed since I last posted and to me, that is unacceptable. So enjoy the chapter and stay tuned for an update to No Chains Holding Me coming up soon too! Thanks guys—you're all awesome!

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 12: My Name Is Tony**

Hetty returned to the autopsy lab as soon as they finished interviewing the party guest and slumped down into a chair.

"Good afternoon my dear," Ducky said. "I trust your interview was productive?"

"Unfortunately…no," Hetty said. "Marie Thompson was a dead end…she passed out in the corner and was later driven home by her husband who was sober. Three people saw them leave together and could verify the time. A short time after they arrived home, Marie began drunk dialing people. I have evidence of her being at home, with her sober husband, making drunken phone calls at the supposed time of the murder" Hetty sighed.

"I continued reading after you left," Ducky said.

"Did you," Hetty smirked. "Why does that not surprise me, Donald?" Ducky shrugged innocently. "Did you learn anything interesting?"

"I have a theory," Ducky said. "I did some additional digging—into the child's biological father. He'd had several interactions with the state and federal investigators before he was arrested for abusing his son and murdering his wife."

"Oh? What was he investigated for?"

"He was investigated for a number of charges, most of them related to his finances. Seems our Mr. DiNozzo was not always aboveboard and forthcoming with information. He was questioned, in his home, on more than one occasion. It is quite certain that he was guilty of all of the crimes he was charged with, but was able to scuttle through the investigations each time. It reminds me of a very wealthy lad I once read about during my time in Indonesia. The lad was—"

"Save your story Donald," Hetty exclaimed, leaping from the chair. "I have to go!"

Hetty was no fool—if Little Tony's father had been guilty and questioned by the police but never arrested, then what was to make Tony think that Jethro Gibbs would be any different? Fearing for this child's tenuous hold on stability, Hetty raced for the bullpen. They'd committed a grievous, although understandable error, and she and Mike had to go and make it right before it was too late.

As Hetty raced away, Ducky looked back at the files. "Yes…my dear boy…I do think Hetty got the message…and she's likely coming to help you right now," he murmured at the small photograph of Tony clipped to the top of the file.

xxx

_There was a knock on the door and someone outside yelled "FBI! We'd like to speak with you!" Anthony DiNozzo Senior looked around frantically. Tony was sitting in the floor, a book in his lap, being very quiet. Senior grabbed him by the arm and jerked him up. He slapped a hand over his child's mouth before he could utter any sounds and raced for the kitchen._

"_Put him away where no one will see him," Senior said, flinging Tony at Nita. "I don't want to hear a sound." He pointed at Tony. "Hear me? Not a word."_

_Tony nodded fearfully and clung to Nita's skirt. He stayed in the kitchen as his father stormed through the house. He slammed the door open and let the men inside. The men went to the living room where Tony's father politely instructed them to sit._

_Tony listened intently from the kitchen, hearing the feds (he didn't know what feds were) talk to his father about dollars and moneys and overseas counts (he didn't know what 'counts' were either)._

_He knew his father was a bad man and did horrible things to everyone in his world. But he'd smile and be so nice whenever people came…it was very confusing…_

_Eventually the feds left and his father got on the phone and started yelling at someone saying how he'd gotten away with his crimes. _

_Tony sighed. They'd never catch his father now. Tony would live in his box forever. He just knew it._

xxx

Shannon was dumbfounded by the reaction from Tony to Jethro that she'd walked in on. The child was nearly hysterical, screaming, crying, obviously wanting to move away, but unable to because of his leg. She dropped her things next to the door and moved between the two.

"Hey," her gentle calm was like a soothing balm to the child who all but threw himself at her. She ran her fingers through her hair and hugged him. "What's going on?"

Tony just continued to cling to her, unable to articulate what he'd dreamed. Shannon rocked him gently and looked up at Jethro. "Are you ok honey?"

"I'm fine," Jethro said softly. "Just not sure what happened here," he gestured helplessly at Tony.

Shannon rubbed her hand up and down Tony's back. "Sweetheart look at Mommy," she said softly. Tony reluctantly lifted his gaze. His eyes were filled with tears and terror and Shannon brushed a hand lightly over his forehead. "Do you feel ok? Anything hurting?"

Tony just shook his head and looked back at his lap. "Nope," Shannon said, "Look back up here at Mommy." Tony lifted his gaze. "Nothing hurts?" He shook his head. "You look scared honey. Did you have a bad dream?"

Was his dream a bad one? Tony thought about it. It wasn't particularly scary…he'd gone to Nita—just like he'd done in real life—and he'd stayed with her, listening to the conversation. He shook his head. Not a bad dream.

Shannon planted a kiss on his forehead. "You're all sweaty and clammy! Let's get you changed. How 'bout that?" Tony nodded. Shannon moved to stand up, but Tony clung to her. "You want me to stay with you?"

Tony nodded desperately. This was new—usually Tony only ever wanted Jethro with him. She glanced at her husband. What had happened? Jethro shrugged. He didn't know, was just as clueless and confused as she was.

"Daddy will you go and get us a change of clothes for Tony? And bring me a damp washcloth please?"

"Sure," Jethro said, hurrying off.

Shannon pulled out her cell phone and opened it. She dialed work and told the lead nurse that she had an emergency—her little boy was not well—and she'd be back hopefully tomorrow. The nurse agreed, saying she'd mark her off the schedule for the rest of the day. Shannon closed her phone and paused for only a minute, and smiling at Tony before flipping it open and making another call.

xxx

JoAnne and Kelly were finished at the library and walking to the car when JoAnne's cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and frowned slightly.

"Hello?"

"_Mother could you do me a favor?"_

"Of course dear, whatever you need! What can I do for you?"

"_Can you keep Kelly out…and distracted…until I call you back?"_

"Shannon…my dear aren't you working today?"

"_I've already called them. I'm not going back to work this afternoon. I need to stay home."_

"Are you ill?"

"_Oh no nothing like that. I'm fine. It's Tony. We aren't sure what's going on…could be a reaction to his medications…we just aren't sure. But we don't want him to inadvertently upset Kelly."_

JoAnne didn't like the sound of that one little bit. "Alright dear. I'll think of something. Keep me posted."

"_I will. Thank you Mother. I know you weren't expecting to keep her out all day."_

"Not a problem honey. Do what you need to do. Let me know when we can come home."

"_We will Mother. Talk soon." _

"Goodbye dear." JoAnne hung up the phone and looked at it for a long moment and then sighed. What a mess.

xxx

Jethro had returned with the things Shannon had asked for by the time she was off the phone with her mother. "Ok," Shannon said, maneuvering around Tony carefully. "Let's get you cleaned up Little One."

"I's s-sorry," Tony whispered.

Shannon was pleased to hear him speaking, but was concerned about the words. She'd begun to worry that something was wrong concerning Tony's previous head injury—that maybe his speech had been effected. This, however, didn't seem to be the case. The young mother worked quickly and efficiently to get her boy cleaned up and into clothes that weren't covered in tears and sweat.

"There we go," she said quietly. "That's better, yeah?"

Tony nodded sullenly.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Tony shook his head vehemently. Oh no that would ruin everything, and he'd get into trouble, and if he was wrong then he'd _really _be in trouble…no it was better to not say anything.

Shannon glanced at Jethro, who was standing behind Tony where the child couldn't see him. The parents figured that Tony knew he was right there, but at this point was studiously ignoring his beloved Daddy. Shannon rocked and patted and hugged and soothed the child. They stayed that way for a while, and Tony had nearly calmed down when the Gibbses heard a car pull up in the driveway. Tony tensed in his Mommy's arms, and Shannon looked anxiously at Jethro.

"I'll get the door," Jethro said softly.

He opened the door and stepped outside once he saw who it was. "Can I help you, Agent?" he asked coolly.

Hetty stopped, seeing the difference in this man from the night before, and she worried that the damage she feared was already done. "I came to help you," she said softly. "Tell me, how is your son this morning?"

"Aside from the fact that he's terrified of me? He's doing ok," Jethro snapped. "I really hope you didn't come here just to ask me how my kid's doing though. He was pretty shaken up by your visit last night. I don't want him shaken up like that again—especially not today with…whatever's going on with him. If you don't need my help for the investigation, I'd really rather just tell you goodbye here."

Hetty was quiet for a moment and then let out a long breath. "I know what's wrong with him. And I can help both of you, if you will just let us speak to him," she said gently.

Jethro's eyes narrowed. "What do you think you know?" he asked, his voice dropping to an even colder timbre.

Hetty took a step forward. "We were impressed by you and your family," she said. "I did some research on the child's father. I think I understand what is going on here," she told the young father.

"Why would you do research on us if we weren't suspects," Jethro snapped. "I don't think I like that."

Hetty pressed on, undeterred. "The boy's father has an active file with the FBI," she said. "He was investigated in the home on more than one occasion, but never arrested."

A cold ball of anger started forming in Jethro's gut at the mention of Tony's father. "Wait. So you're telling me that the FBI visited the _house _where my son was tortured by that sonofabitch on more than one occasion, but was never arrested? And no one ever found Tony and got him the hell _out_?"

Hetty nodded. Franks stepped up. "Sir, none of the FBI reports mention that there was a child in the house. If they didn't see or hear him, then they wouldn't have made a report of it. They wouldn't have known to go looking for a child abuser," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "But we think that Little Tony might have seen or heard the FBI Agents speaking with his father, and may have heard him talk his way around an investigation."

"Tony would have known that the crimes were being committed most likely," Jethro said softly. "So he heard his father getting away with them. But what does that have to do with…oh shit," he breathed. "Last night…you came to talk to me," Jethro said, putting the pieces together. His eyes widened. "Do you think you can talk to him?"

"I would like to try," Hetty said gently. "It's the least I can do. We had no idea that coming to ask you some questions may be so upsetting to him. And we may be totally off base," she said. "We might be totally wrong. But after speaking with our medical examiner who is finishing his doctorate in Forensic Psychology, he agrees that we may have inadvertently caused your child to be upset. And we'd like to fix that."

Jethro looked at them, dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what to make of people who came and owned up to mistakes and tried to fix them. Hell that didn't even happen in the Marines much. He thought about it for a moment, glanced through the door to where Tony was still huddled up in Shannon's lap, and then nodded.

"It's worth a shot," he said softly. "Please, come in."

xxx

Tony's eyes widened in fear when he saw the agents from last night back again. Were they going to take his daddy away this time? Were they going to take _him_ away? Had Daddy done something bad that made the agents angry? They didn't look angry. Tony was so confused. He huddled closer into Shannon's chest, burying his face in her skin, and missing the questioning look she gave the others in the room.

"Agent Hetty and Agent Mike are here to talk to Tony," Jethro said. "They want to see if he has any questions about what happened here last night. They're concerned they may have upset him." He looked at the two agents, a warning glare on his face.

Hetty stepped forward. "Good morning Little Tony," Hetty said softly.

Tony looked up at her. "My name's Tony," he grumbled. "Oh-neee my fam'ly gets a call me Little."

Hetty smiled. "I understand. Tony is a nice name." Tony's eyes narrowed a bit. "I was wondering, dear boy, if I could talk to you for a few moments."

Tony's eyes popped open wide in fear. "Did I's do something bad? Is you gonna takes me away?" he looked up at Jethro and Shannon in fear. He didn't want to leave…

"Oh no Tony, nothing like that," Hetty said. "I would like to ask you some questions. I heard you just got to come live here a short time ago." Tony nodded. "Do you like it here?"

"Yes," Tony said solemnly. They were going to take him away, he just knew it.

"Tony…last night when we came to talk to your Daddy…what did you think of that?"

Tony looked confused. "I…I dunno," he said quietly, looking down at his lap.

Hetty glanced up at Jethro and Shannon who were looking quite protectively on their child. "Tony, dear boy," she said softly. "I went back to my office last night, and I learned more about you and your life before you came to live with these nice people. I know about what your father did to you," her voice was so gentle.

Tony glanced up at her for a long moment, his lower lip quivering a bit. Then he looked down. "Please," he said softly. "Please don't make me go back a my mean-daddy," his voice dropped to a whisper as he spoke.

Hetty ran a soothing hand over the child's hair. "I would never ask you to go back there," she said. "You are perfectly fine where you are. But I also learned that the FBI—a group of federal agents—were investigating your father for a long time, and they visited your house. Did you know that?"

"I…I's a member my mean-daddy talkin' bout the feds comin' and bout how he's gonna get 'way with what he done a cause a feds a leeved him when he lied a them," Tony said softly. He looked up at Jethro. "Did you's do something bad Daddy?"

Hetty closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking up at Jethro who had a stricken look on his face. He dropped to his knees next to the boy. "Tony I promise you. I haven't done anything wrong. Someone I work with may have done something very bad, and I'm trying to help Hetty and Mike here figure out who did it. I'm not in trouble." He looked up at the agents. _Tell him I'm not in trouble._

"Your daddy is right," Mike said, jumping into the conversation. "We're just getting him to help us. He knows the people we need to talk to better than we do. So he is helping us out. He didn't do anything wrong and he isn't in trouble at all. You don't need to be afraid of him ok? He's a good guy—and he loves you very much."

Hetty smiled at her Second In Command. He'd make a good team leader one day. She was proud of him. "That's right Tony," she agreed. "Mike is right."

Tony looked at Jethro. "I's sorry I's was mean to you Daddy," he said softly. Tears filled his eyes. "I's just was scared."

Jethro moved to sit on the futon and Tony snuggled up to him. "I'm sorry you were scared. Why didn't you just ask us about it?"

Tony was quiet for a long moment. "Um…a cause…if you's had done something bad…and I's asked you about it…I's a get in troubles," he said. "I's a scared I's a make you mad."

"Why did you think it would make me mad if you asked me about that," Jethro asked softly, running his hand over his child's short haircut.

"A cause," Tony said softly, "'s what my mean-daddy woulda doned."

Hetty couldn't stop the gasp that escaped. "Tony I would like to apologize for upsetting you. I am very sorry, child," she said quietly, contritely. She reached into her bag then and pulled out an NCIS cap and a small badge. "I got these for you. You've been a big help for us in our investigation," she said softly, "Because you've been so brave, you might help us find this bad person sooner. I want you to be an honorary agent." She held out a business card—like the card Jethro had given him the first night he met them. "And I want you to know if you ever need anything…if you are ever in trouble, you can call me and I will help you."

Tony looked at her for a long moment and then dropped his gaze to the card, the hat, and the badge. He decided he liked this woman—she wasn't there to get him or his daddy into trouble. And she brought him presents—which was something he was still getting used to. And she told him he could call her if he ever needed Agent Help. He looked up at her and offered her a small, snaggle-toothed smile.

"Agent Hetty?" his voice was soft, tired. Jethro rubbed his back softly.

"Yes child?" Hetty's voice was equally soft.

Tony looked up at Jethro and Shannon then looked back to Hetty. "You's can calls me Little if you wants to," he said softly with a smile.

Around him, the grown-ups shared a smile, proud of the little one in their midst. Hetty wiped a rogue tear from her eye and nodded. "I would like that Little Tony," she said softly. "I would like that very much."

TBC…


	13. Wild Things and Afraidy Cats

**To my readers who have disabled their PMs:** Thank you guys so much for your comments! I wish I could respond privately to your sweet messages, but I understand the choice to not receive private messages. Thanks for reading and commenting!  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This chapter is dedicated to Maurice Sendak, author of "_Where The Wild Things Are_," and his fans. Mr. Sendak passed away on May 8 and he will be greatly missed by children's story lovers everywhere.

_Thanks as always to Gotgoats, my wonderful beta, for all your help and suggestions with this chapter! Love you Pbbbbt_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 13: Wild Things and Afraidy Cats**

That evening, Shannon took Kelly and her mother out to get some popsicles from the market for everyone to enjoy. Jethro walked into the living room shortly after they left and looked at his little boy who was lying on the futon. The futon Jethro had built for his child had been a good idea—it was a huge success. Tony had been comfortable from the moment he'd come home—with the exception of physical therapy. Tony was not a fan of the exercises he was required to do each day to strengthen his leg.

Tony looked up at his daddy when Jethro came into the room. "Hi Daddy," he said softly. He was lying on his back, head on his pillow, playing with his fingers and his leg was propped up on the pillow at the end of the mattress. The NCIS hat was firmly placed on his head and the badge was clipped to his shirt.

"Hi kiddo," Jethro said softly. "Whatcha doin?"

"Just am thinking some," Tony said softly.

Jethro smiled and sat down. "Yeah? Ya look like you're thinking pretty hard."

"I am," Tony said with a nod. "Daddy?"

"Yeah Tony?"

"Can I tell you a question?"

Jethro smiled again. "Sure Tony. Ask away."

Tony was quiet for a long moment. "You's not going a go a jail. Like my mean-daddy. Right?"

Jethro smiled sadly. "That's right kiddo," he said gently. "I didn't do anything wrong, so I'm not in any trouble. I'm helping the agents with their investigation. I won't get into trouble."

Tony nodded. "Daddy?"

"Yeah Tony?"

"What did the bad person do?"

Jethro sighed. He'd managed to avoid explaining to the children what he'd seen in the park. But Tony asked him a question—he'd asked him specifically what had happened. He couldn't lie…wouldn't do anything to betray Tony's trust. But that didn't mean he had to give him all of the details.

"Well Tony…this bad person…whoever they are…they hurt someone very bad, and that person died," Jethro said softly. "We're trying to figure out who did it."

"Is it someone we knows?" Tony's eyes widened.

"I don't think it's anyone you know," Jethro said gently, bumping a finger lightly on the bill of Tony's NCIS cap. "But it might be someone I know."

"Why did they hurt them? Did they do something bad? Did they make them angry? Hurting peoples is not ok. Making them dead is bad too," Tony said thoughtfully.

Jethro nodded. "You're right Tony. It was a very mean thing to do. And we don't know why it happened. How bout we read a story?" Jethro suggested.

Tony nodded. "You picks a book this time!" He smiled at his daddy.

Jethro nodded. "Alright then," he said. "I'll be back in a minute." He got up and walked to the bookshelf. A moment later he came back. "How 'bout this one?"

Tony looked at the book then smiled and nodded happily. It was one of his favorites. Jethro smiled and settled down on the futon next to Tony. He carefully helped Tony shift so he was sitting closer to him and was comfortable.

Jethro picked the book up. "Where The Wild Things Are," he read the title, being careful to point at each word. "By Maurice Sendak. He's the author Tony. He wrote the book." Tony nodded.

In the quiet summer evening, Jethro began to read softly. "_The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind…"_ he turned the page, "_and another…" _Tony giggled at the pictures, and Jethro turned the page again. _"His mother called him 'WILD THING!' and Max said 'I'LL EAT YOU UP!' so he was sent to bed without eating anything."_

"Max hadda mean-mommy," Tony said softly—same as he did every time the story started. Jethro squeezed Tony in a gentle hug and continued the story.

By the end of the story, Shannon was pulling into the driveway. Jethro glanced down and smiled sadly when he saw his littlest asleep. He turned the last page of the book and read softly, _"__...where he found his supper waiting for him. And it was still hot."_

Tony sighed in his sleep and snuggled closer to Jethro. "He gots…nice-mommy…now…jussss…likkke…meee," Tony whispered.

"Yeah Tony," Jethro said softly, smiling at his little one. "Yeah he does."

xxx

"Tony Gibbs!" The nurse's voice rang out clearly through the waiting room. Tony visibly flinched when he heard the sharp voice and he looked fearfully over at Jethro who'd brought him to his appointment with Dr. Kristopher.

"It's ok Tony," Jethro said. The little boy had been nervous ever since Jethro had told him that morning that he'd have to go to the eye doctor today. Jethro slid in behind the wheelchair and started pushing him towards the door so they could follow the nurse.

The nurse smiled kindly down at him. "Hey there Tony," she said. "How ya feelin' big guy?" Her name was Amanda. Tony remembered her from his last visit.

"I ok," he said softly. "I do not like doctor officers."

She smiled and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Lots of people don't like it," she said sympathetically. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Tony's eyes rounded and he nodded solemnly. She leaned down towards him. "I don't like going to the doctor either," she whispered loudly.

"Really?" Tony looked unsure. He deflated a bit. "Sometimes I am a afraidy cat at a doctor's officer," he said shyly.

"A frady cat?" Amanda looked at him and smiled. "I'm a frady cat too! We can be frady cats together!"

Tony looked up at Jethro. He smiled. "I'm a frady cat too sometimes," he said. "I don't like shots."

"Me too!" Tony exclaimed.

Amanda led them into an exam room. "Ok buddy," she said. "Dr. Kristopher will be in to see you in just a few minutes. Just tell him you're a frady cat like me and he'll go easy on ya." She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. Tony waved goodbye and Amanda shut the door behind her.

It wasn't long before Dr. Kristopher came in. Jethro was teaching Tony how to play Rock-Paper-Scissors when the soft knock on the door was heard. "Good morning," the doctor said softly, poking his head inside. "How's my favorite Little Tony doing this morning?"

"I's not little," Tony said firmly. "I's a big boy. I's tall now," he said proudly, sitting up a little straighter.

"Big Tony it is then," Dr. Kristopher said with a smile.

Tony shook his head. "No…just Tony," he said. "I's not _that_ big!"

The doctor chuckled. "I would like to look in your eyes. Can I do that?"

"Will it hurt?" That seemed to be the deciding factor in whether or not the doctor would be allowed to proceed.

"I'm going to shine a light in your eyes, one at a time. It will be very bright, but I don't think it will hurt. What do ya say?"

"I's a afraidy cat," Tony said softly.

Dr. Kristopher sat down on his rolling stool and nodded. "You know what?" he asked very seriously.

Tony shook his head.

"I am a frady cat when I have to go to a doctor too," the doctor said.

Tony's eyes widened. "B-but you's a doctor! How's a come you's a afraidy cat?"

Dr. Kristopher just shrugged. "I dunno," he said softly. "Just always haven't liked going to the doctor. Makes my tummy feel funny," he said, poking Tony gently in the belly. Tony giggled. "Can I look in your eyes now?" the doctor asked gently.

"You's a be careful you afraidy cat, you!" The doctor chuckled. He pulled out his light and shined it on Tony's hand first so he could see that the light didn't hurt, and then he looked into Tony's eyes. First he checked his good eye. Tony agreed that it didn't hurt, but was super bright. When the doctor moved the light away Tony blinked. "I see's purple an' blue an' red dots!" Tony exclaimed, rubbing at his eye.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, sometimes that happens. But it will stop, don't worry."

"Ok," Tony said.

"I'm going to look in your hurt eye now ok? If it hurts tell me and I will stop."

Tony tensed a bit, but nodded. Jethro smiled, filled with pride. His boy was so brave. The doctor raised the light and Tony flinched. "Easy," the doctor murmured. "Only for a second…shouldn't hurt…jusssst relaxxx."

The doctor shined the bright light in his eye and Tony whimpered softly. "Does that hurt," the doctor asked, getting a little closer to the scope so he could see better and finish quicker.

"No," Tony whispered. "Not much."

"Does it hurt a little?"

"A little," Tony said softly.

A moment later the doctor clicked his light off. Tony blinked weakly several times. "Good job, Tony," the doctor praised. He smiled at him.

"Alright Tony, now I am going to move behind you and I am going to start moving my hand forward. I want you to look off to the side, and I want you to tell me when you can see my hand. Ok? The minute you see it."

"Ok," Tony said softly. His head was adorned with his helmet, and he was seated in the wheelchair with his leg stretched out in front of him. Jethro sat in the chair across from him, close in case he got upset, but giving the doctor enough room to do what he needed to do.

Jethro smiled and nodded encouragingly at his son while the doctor moved carefully around behind him—making an effort not to bump the wheelchair where the little boy was seated in the middle of the room.

The structure of Tony's eye hadn't really improved since he'd left the hospital, and the doctor was eager to see if there was any change in the range of Tony's vision since his last checkup. The damage to the little boy's vision was beginning to look permanent, and that greatly concerned the doctor. The doctor gently removed the helmet. "Here you go Dad," he said, passing it to Jethro. Jethro set it on the seat next to him.

"You ready Tony?" the doctor's voice was soft, and just behind his right ear. Tony nodded, his face showing his trepidation. "Ok," the doctor said softly. "I am not going to touch you ok? Just tell me whenever you see something."

"Ok," Tony whispered.

Slowly the doctor began moving his hand forward. When the doctor's hand got just in front of Tony's ear, Tony spoke up softly. "I's a see something moving," he said.

"That's very good Tony," the doctor said softly. He moved his hand slightly so that he was holding up two fingers. "Now I want you to make your hand do what my hand is doing as soon as you can see it. Hold your head still and just look out of the side of your eye alright?"

"Ok," Tony said softly, holding his head very still. The doctor began moving his hand forward. The doctor frowned when he got right up next to Tony's eye and still saw no reaction, and he frowned more when Tony finally made the same sign with his hands. The doctor's hand was almost directly in front of his face by that point.

Dr. Kristopher quickly schooled his features. "Ok Tony thanks," he said softly.

"Did I do bad?" Tony asked. "I's sorry I's couldn't see so good."

"Nothing to be sorry for Tony," the doctor said kindly. "You were doing the best you could! That's what I needed to know. Now I can figure out how to help you better!"

The doctor ended up referring Tony to an Optometrist to work closely with Dr. Kristopher, and together they would work up a prescription for Tony to get glasses. "I think the glasses will help some of the blurriness that he's experiencing go away," Dr. Kristopher said.

Jethro nodded. "Whatever you think he needs," he said.

Jethro and Tony were led down a different hall after that, to a room where a new doctor came in. She was a large woman, big breasted with curly red hair and glasses. "My name is Dr. Greene" she said. Her voice was loud, unlike Dr. Kristopher's voice, and Tony shied away slightly.

"You must be Tony," she said, patting the little boy's shoulder. Tony flinched. "Dr. Kristopher tells me that we need to see about getting you some glasses," she said. She glanced over his file for a moment.

"Will it hurt," Tony asked softly.

Dr. Greene smiled. "I don't think so," she said. "I have some drops that I will put in your eyes to help me see inside of them better. The drops might make your eyes itch a little, but I don't think it will hurt. Have you ever gotten soap in your eyes in the bathtub?"

Tony nodded. He remembered the fiery burning sensation well. "It won't hurt that much," the doctor said gently. "Let me go get those drops and I will be right back with you."

Tony didn't like the sound of it. He looked sadly at Jethro. "Can we's a go home now?" he asked softly. "I do not like this."

Jethro smiled sympathetically. "It's going to be alright." He patted his boy on the shoulder.

"How you's know?" Tony wanted to know.

Jethro leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "Because I have your six. Remember?" Tony smiled. "We have to let the doctor's do what's necessary to make you feel better and help you see better, but I am right here with you the whole time. I won't leave you alone, alright?"

Tony's eyes rounded a bit at this. It made Jethro sad that his boy still feared being left. "You's promise?" the child asked softly.

Jethro nodded. "I promise," he said, with a firm nod.

Tony stuck up a small pinky finger. "Pinky promise?" he smiled shyly.

Jethro smiled. "Pinky promise," he said, linking his pinky with Tony's.

Dr. Greene came back in. "I'm back!" she said cheerfully. She quickly saw the look of fear on Tony's face and sat down on her stool. "Are you alright," she asked, her voice much softer.

Tony sniffled once and nodded, trying desperately to be brave. "I's ok," he whispered, but his wobbling voice gave away his fear.

The doctor reached out and gently squeezed Tony's hand. "I will try my very best to make this not hurt at all, alright?" she said quietly.

Tony nodded and scrubbed a hand over his nose. Looking at the back of his hand, he sniffled again, then looked at Jethro. "I's sorry," he said contritely. "I's forgotted."

The doctor handed him a wet wipe. "No worries," Jethro said. "You're being so brave, Tony, I am so proud of you." The little boy's daddy beamed proudly at his son. Tony smiled weakly.

"Ok," Dr. Greene said. "Here we go."

Tony was reassured by the fact that Jethro stayed close. Dr. Greene had Tony identify different things on a big poster, point his finger in the direction that the E on the eyechart was facing. He didn't know how to read yet, so she had him identify shapes through a strange looking pair of glasses that hung out of the ceiling. Finally the doctor put the drops in his eyes carefully, while Jethro held both of Tony's hands. The drops stung a bit, and Jethro continued to hold his hands gently, thumbs stroking lightly over the back of his hands, preventing Tony from rubbing at his eyes. The child whimpered softly, and blinked furiously, but did not cry.

"Good job Tony," Jethro murmured softly. "You are doing so good; I am so proud of you."

The drops quickly dilated Tony's eyes enough that the doctor could examine him a bit more thoroughly. She looked in his eyes and made some notes. Finally she turned off all the scopes and bright lights and smiled at Tony. "You doing ok Tony?"

Tony nodded. "Everything is buzzy looking," he said softly, squinting to get his eyes to focus.

"Try to relax your eyes, Sweetie," the doctor instructed. "The drops I put them make your vision blurry. It will get better in a few hours. In the mean time," she smiled, "let's go out into the lobby and pick you out some glasses!"

Tony's eyes widened. Glasses? Really? "What's glasses?" he asked softly. "Will it hurt?"

Jethro smiled. "Nope, glasses don't hurt," he said. Part of him was sad though, that his child's vision was so affected by everything that had happened to him. Tony would likely be unable to play many sports, do several jobs…the main point being that Jethro felt his child would be hindered in some ways…held back, because of what his sonofabitch biological father did to him. Tony would be forever paying for the mistakes the man made. And that was unacceptable to Jethro Gibbs.

The young father looked at the doctor. "What are you treating him for with the glasses," he asked.

Dr. Greene stood up and began leading them down the hall. "It looks like he has the beginnings of a stigmatism," she said. "That's a irregular curvature of the lens in the eye. It could be the result of the gunshot wound, or it could be genetic. I can make it better with corrective lenses, but it won't ever go away."

"Will he be able to wear contact lenses when he gets older?"

"He will require a specific type of contacts, but yes, that would be an option for him when he gets older."

Jethro nodded. Tony looked up at him, not understanding what the grownups around him were saying. Jethro leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "It's a good thing we brought your sunglasses along," Jethro commented when he saw how blown out Tony's pupils were. Indeed, the child's irises were nearly invisible thanks to the wideness of his pupils. "That sun will be bright when you go outside, have to make sure we get those on you," Jethro said.

Together the adults worked to help Tony find a pair of glasses that would work for him, and that would look nice on him.

It didn't take them long to find the correct frames that would be perfect for Little Tony. Deep royal blue in color, they were made of a new material that allowed the frames to be bendy and twisty—you could sit on them and they would not break, twist them into a pretzel and they would not be deformed. Dr. Greene suggested an elastic band to attach to the frames that would strap around the back of Tony's head and keep the glasses from falling off or sliding down.

"It will take us about an hour to get the lenses ready and get the glasses put together," Dr. Greene said. "You guys could go grab some lunch or take a break and then come back for the fitting."

Jethro thanked her and nodded. The eye doctor's office was close to a small shopping center—within walking distance. He pushed Tony's wheelchair slowly, glancing down occasionally to see how the little one was doing, and headed for a specific store in the center.

Tony wondered where they were going, but he didn't question it. He knew that his mean-daddy didn't like it when he asked a lot of questions, and even though Tony hadn't ever seen Jethro angry with him, he didn't think Jethro wanted to answer a lot of questions from him either.

They walked past a door that had a big ice cream cone on it and Tony stared at it from behind his sunglasses. He loved ice cream, but didn't say anything. His heart sank a little as they continued past it. They'd eaten lunch before they'd left, so even if they had ice cream it wouldn't spoil them. They could have it as a snack, Tony thought to himself. His eyes widened when, just past the door to the Ice Cream Shoppe, Jethro stopped the chair. Tony turned around to see what Jethro was doing and then smiled when he saw his daddy pulling the door to the ice cream store open. He propped it open with one foot and carefully guided Tony through the door, taking great care to not bump his leg.

"You've been a pretty brave dude this morning," Jethro said with a wink. "How's about some ice cream?"

Tony smiled and nodded, excited to be getting a sweet treat. Then he stopped. "I's don't haves no moneys," he said softly.

Jethro ruffled his hair, wondering at the way Tony didn't question things like glasses, but he questioned getting a cup of ice cream. He wondered if it had something to do with what Tony actually wanted—and if he felt like he needed to provide for his own wants.

"No money?" Jethro said, his eyes widening. He lifted his own sunglasses and put them on top of his head, but left Tony's where they were. "Well lucky for you, I have just enough for us both to have some," Jethro smiled.

"Won't Mommy and Kelly be sad if we's eated it without them?" Tony worried his lower lip with his teeth.

"Nah, Mommy's at work and Kelly's out with Grandma, remember?" Tony nodded. "Next time we get ice cream we'll bring them along with us. This time it's just you and me. How's that sound?"

Tony nodded. "Good," he whispered.

Jethro patted his sweet son on the shoulder and rolled up to the counter. "What kinda ice cream do you want Tony?" he asked.

"What can I have?" Tony asked softly. He ran a hand over his leg. It was starting to hurt. He wanted to go home.

Jethro noticed. "You can have anything you want!" Tony looked up at him, at a loss for what to get. He usually just ate plain white ice cream. "You pick for me," Tony said softly.

"What can I do for ya?" The young man behind the counter wore a traditional ice cream shop uniform—complete with striped shirt, bowtie, apron and little paper hat.

Jethro looked at him again. "You sure you don't have any special requests Tony?" he asked softly. Tony shook his head and stared at his lap. Jethro looked back to the clerk. "I want a banana split," he said, "with two spoons."

Tony stared up at him. Jethro was going to share his food? The clerk nodded and Tony watched as the older kid began to make the biggest, largest, most humongous ice cream sundae he'd ever seen. Bananas, white ice cream, brown ice cream, pink ice cream, strawberries, some weird looking yellow stuff, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, nuts on top of it and two big cherries topped it. The clerk set it up on the counter and Jethro handed him some money and thanked him.

"I'll bring it out for you sir," the clerk said. "You kind of look like you have your hands full."

"Thanks, but I think Tony can hold it for me," Jethro said. He picked up the banana split and turned to Tony. "Can you hold this for me until we get to a table Tony?" he said. Tony nodded mutely and held out his hands, carefully accepting the huge ice cream dish.

"It's cold," he said softly and smiled. It looked sooooo yummy!

"This is something my daddy—your grandpa—used to get for me and him to eat when I was about your age," Jethro told him.

Together the two tucked into their ice cream and began eating it. It was obvious to Jethro how tired Tony was. This was the longest he'd been out of the house since he'd come home from the hospital. "How ya holdin' up kiddo," he asked softly.

Tony licked the whipped cream off of his spoon and smacked his lips. "I ok," he said softly. "Kinda tired."

"We'll go home as soon as we get your new glasses and you can rest some ok?" Jethro scooped up a bite of strawberry ice cream with pineapple topping and ate it.

Tony nodded. "My leg hurting some," he said. "I's sorry."

Jethro put his spoon down. "What ya sorry for? You haven't done anything wrong!" He reached around and got the small backpack off of Tony's chair. Opening it up he pulled out the syringe and the bottle of painkillers that he'd brought along in case this happened.

"A cause I's complaining and whining," Tony said. He got another small scoop of ice cream and licked at it listlessly.

Jethro handed him the loaded syringe. "This won't make you too sleepy," he said. "But it will help your leg not hurt so bad," he told him. Tony took his medicine without complaint. Jethro packed up the medicine and put the backpack back on Tony's chair.

The two ate silently for a few minutes and then Tony looked up at Jethro. His leg was starting to not hurt as bad and his tummy was full of the wonderfully cold treat his daddy had shared with him. His mean-daddy had never really shared anything with him.

"Daddy?" Tony said softly.

"Yeah buddy?" Jethro licked some chocolate syrup off of his spoon.

Tony smiled, showing off his missing teeth. "I's glad you's my daddy now," he said shyly.

Jethro leaned over and kissed his child on the forehead. "I'm glad too Tony," he said softly. "I'm so glad too."

TBC…


	14. Two More Discoveries

**Author's Note:** _I have made some slight changes to__**Chapter 8: Priss and Police Cars**_ in order to be able to lower the maturity rating on this story. **Because of the changes I have made,** **the rating for Breaks and Repairs is now T instead of M.** I have also corrected all of the autocorrect NCIS mistakes that were in chapters 8-10. Thanks to everyone who nicely pointed out those mistakes—I think we all can have a good laugh over it. Darn that Autocorrect hahaha

_Thanks as always to my wonderful beta, Gotgoats. You rock! You are amazing! Love you!_

And now…on with the show!

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 14: Two More Discoveries**

The Gibbses were on their own again. JoAnne had received a call several days earlier, requesting her assistance back at work on the East Coast and the grandmother had reluctantly agreed. She bid everyone goodbye with tears and hugs and promises to see everyone soon. She'd come back to visit as soon as she could break away from work again.

Shannon had worked it out with her boss so that she could have a set schedule for a while, instead of the rotating schedule she normally had. This insured she was at home in time for dinner, baths, and bedtime every night. Jethro could handle the kids during the day while he was still on leave, and Myra was close by in case he needed help, but when it came to the nightly routines, it was easier on both of the young parents if they had the other one. And with Tony's leg still in the external fixator, giving him a bath really was a two person job.

It was Friday evening, and somehow they'd managed to finish with dinner earlier than usual.

"Mommy can I go to the playground and swing please?" Kelly asked. They didn't go up to the playground too often anymore, and on Friday and Saturday nights, bedtime was a half hour later than on week nights.

"I will have to go with you," Shannon said. "Let's make sure that Daddy and Tony are ok first, alright?"

Kelly nodded and scurried through the house to the front door. Jethro had taken Tony outside for some fresh air while Kelly and Shannon finished up the dishes. "Daddy Daddy! Can me and Mommy go to the playground? I want to swing!"

Shannon came out the front door and started down the ramp. "If it's alright with you," she said with a smile.

"Why don't we all walk up to the playground," Jethro suggested. "Tony would you like that?"

"I can't play none," Tony said softly. "But I would like to go. Can we take Sasha?"

Jethro smiled. "Of course we can! Good idea! We'll take a ball for her to play fetch with us too ok?" Tony giggled and nodded. "Do you mind if we join you ladies?" Jethro asked his daughter.

"I don't mind! I love it when we all go to the playground!" Kelly exclaimed happily.

The grownups set about locking up the house and getting Sasha on her leash and grabbing a ball for her to play with. They started up the street together and Tony leaned his head back and looked up at Jethro who was pushing his chair and had Sasha's leash around his wrist.

"Can I's hold Sasha please Daddy?"

Jethro smiled down at his little bespectacled son and stopped. "Gotta hold her really tightly ok? Don't let her go!" He handed Tony the leash.

"I won't let her go Daddy," Tony said softly. "I promise!"

Together the family continued on, and when they got to the playground, they were relieved to see that they were the only ones there. Kelly immediately ran for the swings and Tony watched her for a moment from his chair, before Jethro picked the ball up out of his lap. "Wanna play with Sasha Tony?" he asked.

The playground was a large open space, that was surrounded by a gated fence. They could turn Sasha loose if they wanted, and she couldn't get out of the fence. She was getting quite good at playing fetch, sometimes even finding rocks or sticks and bringing them to one of the Gibbses for playtime.

Tony smiled and nodded, giggling gleefully when his daddy threw the ball all the way to the other end of the fence and Sasha bounded after it. She picked the green tennis ball up in her mouth and wagged her tail as she ran playfully back to Jethro and Tony. This went on back and forth for several trips before Jethro took the slobber-covered ball from Sasha and held it out to Tony. "Do you want to throw it?" Shannon was pushing Kelly on the swings and the little girl was squealing higher and louder with each push.

Tony grinned and threw the ball. It didn't go as far as Jethro threw it, but it did make it all the way to the sandbox. After Ruby's body had been recovered from the sandbox, all of the old sand had been removed and the sandbox had been replaced. There was now a new, gloriously huge, deep sandbox with new sand in it for the children to play in.

Sasha bounded off after the ball again, tongue hanging out of her mouth and tail wagging the whole way. She picked up the ball and started back when she stopped, sniffing something.

"Come on Sasha!" Tony called. But the dog didn't come, she just continued to sniff, getting into the sandbox and sniffing around.

"Sasha!" Jethro barked. "Come!" But Sasha did not come. By now Kelly and Shannon had noticed that Sasha was into something.

"C'mere Sasha!" Shannon cooed to the dog, patting her leg and whistling. Sasha stayed in the sandbox though. And now she discarded the ball and began digging.

"She must have found something," Jethro said. "Sit here Tony, I'll go get her." He jogged over to where Sasha was digging. "What is it girl? What'd you find?"

Sasha backed up and put her front paws down on the ground, her rear end up in the air. She barked once and pawed at the ground.

"Is there something here? You want me to dig for it?" Jethro said. He pushed around some of the sand with his hands, and something icy gripped his stomach when his hand brushed over what felt suspiciously like an arm. He swallowed hard and brushed more sand away, revealing a hand with painted fingernails, buried beneath the sand. He dug a little more, following the line of the arm, and found the rest of the woman.

"Shannon," he called. He looked over his shoulder and saw Shannon pushing Tony and the three of them heading his way. "Keep the kids back," he called. "And call…call an ambulance. Ohhh God," he breathed. "And call the MPs too." He looked up at Shannon whose face was pale, and she nodded once, understanding immediately what Jethro had found.

The young father stood up and walked over to the kids. "Let's get Sasha back on her leash Tony," he said. "Kelly will you help us do that please? It's time to go home now."

Kelly nodded, not understanding what was going on, but she hadn't ever seen that look on her daddy's face before. She didn't know what it meant, but she knew she needed to listen to him.

Shannon put her cell phone back in her pocket and stepped closer to the sandbox. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw the young woman. "Oh my god," she breathed. "Natasha?" She dropped to her knees and gently shook the young woman's arm. She shared a shift with this nurse over at the hospital! She turned back to Jethro and her eyes were filled with horror. "I know her," she said. "I know who this is! I work with her!"

"Shannon, Babe you need to calm down," Jethro said, eyebrows raised slightly. He stepped over and helped Shannon to her feet. Her face was pale and she looked like she might be sick. "We need to take care of the kids," Jethro said softly.

Shannon nodded and ran her hands over her face. She looked at Jethro who nodded and kissed her firmly on the forehead. "C'mon babies," Shannon said softly. "Let's get you guys home. We'll find something fun to do there ok?"

Kelly and Tony both nodded, knowing that because of whatever had happened to the lady in the sandbox—because now they had both seen it—they needed to leave the park. Shannon started pushing Tony, but he twisted around in his chair.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah Tony?" Jethro wasn't following them.

"You's a comin' with us?"

"No Tony I'm going to stay here and wait for Agent Hetty and Agent Franks to get here ok?"

"Can I's stay with you?"

Jethro looked at Shannon who looked still looked very fearful. She was badly shaken by the events today. "Better go on home kiddo," Jethro said gently.

"I wanna stay with you!"

"Tony you don't need to be here right now. I'd feel better if you went home."

Tony's little gut was churning though, and he didn't want to leave his daddy. "I seen a dead person a fore Jethro," he fussed.

Jethro's eyes widened and it made him feel sick to hear Tony talk about seeing dead bodies as though he were talking about a baseball game. He moved to his son's side and put his hands gently on Tony's shoulders. "Yes, you have," he agreed. "But that doesn't mean you need to see more of them. And besides," he continued, "I need your help. Can you help me?"

Tony nodded eagerly, ready to be of whatever assistance Jethro needed. "I need you to go and stay with Mommy ok? She'll feel better if you're with her. I'll be home very soon ok?" Well he hoped he would be home soon…he knew he'd have to give his statement, and Shannon likely would as well…it could be a long night.

Tony looked at him skeptically but then leaned his head back and looked up at Shannon. Her pretty face was pale, and her eyes were watery. "Mommy? You's scareded?" Tony asked softly.

Shannon glanced at Jethro for one brief second. Tony didn't take his eyes off of his mommy, so he missed the nearly imperceptible nod of Jethro's head. "Yes Tony," she whispered, not lying to her child. "Yes I'm scared. I want you to come home with me so we'll be safe."

Tony rounded on Jethro then. "You's have a come with us!" he pleaded. "It's not safe here! Mommy said so!"

Jethro sighed. "You're right Tony…we don't know if it's safe here or not. But what I do know is that I am a marine, and it is my job to make sure other people stay safe. So I will stay here and make sure it's safe here, so that you can go home ok? I'll be home in a while, and I'll come say hi when I get there."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows and scowled at his daddy. "But what about us?" he asked softly. "Who will keep us safe?"

Jethro smiled and gently kissed each of his children's foreheads, and then stood up and kissed Shannon again. "Can you help me with that Tony? Can you look out for the girls for me? Until I get back?"

Tony thought about it for a long moment. Then he nodded. "Is I a Marine too Daddy?"

Jethro nodded, knowing that he was getting through to him. "For tonight, let's pretend you are. And you be very brave and help Mommy and Kelly be very brave, and I will stay here and together we will take care of everything ok?"

Tony nodded. "Will you read me a towy when you's a come back?"

Jethro nodded. "I'll read you two stories," he promised. "Now run along and be brave and I will be home as soon as I can be."

Tony nodded, and Jethro watched as Shannon and his two beautiful children left the park.

xxx

Hetty was pissed. They had an arrogant killer on their hands. Not only had the person struck twice now that they knew of, they were dumping the bodies in the same spot! They went back to the very same place where young Ruby Jarvis had been found, and they'd dumped another body there—a body who had died, it appeared, in the same way Ruby had.

If only they could figure out what had happened. They were still waiting for the lab results to come back showing what had happened to Ruby. Now it seemed they needed to get started on the next round.

She got out of the car and walked into the park. Hetty'd been concerned when she heard of how the body had been discovered, and by whom. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Mike Franks was out of the car as well, and following her into the children's playground. Several MPs were working a perimeter around the sandbox—'_the damned sandbox'_, Hetty thought to herself—and there was Jethro Gibbs, standing off to the side, face pale, hands dirty from digging in the sand, talking softly with one of the law enforcement officers.

"Good evening gentlemen," Hetty said softly, nodding at Gibbs.

"Hello," Jethro said softly. The MP nodded his silent greeting.

"I heard you and your wife and the kids made a gruesome discovery this afternoon, Gunny," Hetty said softly.

"That's right," Jethro said softly with a nod.

Hetty looked at Franks. "Work the scene," she said firmly. "Bag and tag and sketch. Someone needs to call Ducky and get him out here to collect our victim."

"Ducky?" Gibbs asked, fighting down the urge to chuckle.

Hetty nodded. "Our Interim Medical Examiner. His name is Dr. Mallard, however, everyone he knows it seems, refers to him as Ducky. He should be here soon."

Jethro nodded. He ran his hands over his face, leaving trails of dirt behind on his cheeks.

Hetty's gaze softened. "Let's go sit," she said softly, indicating the bench across the park. "Come on. I want you to tell me everything that happened."

xxx

Hetty was surprised that as Jethro recounted the tale of finding the dead woman in the sandbox, he began to tear up. He bit the inside of his jaw and clenched it tightly, refusing to let the tears fall from his eyes.

"It was awful," he whispered. "Shannon knows her. Works with her. She kept trying to get her to wake up…even though…" he shuddered, "even though it was…y'know, obvious…that she was gone."

"That must have been very difficult for both of you," Hetty said gently and Jethro nodded.

As Jethro finished telling Hetty what had happened in the park, a large black and white van with the letters "NCIS" pulled up to the lot and a middle aged man got out. He moved methodically and intentionally, his brown hair combed neatly to one side and his glasses perched firmly on his nose. As the man, dressed in NCIS coveralls, approached, Hetty beckoned him over.

"Dr. Mallard, I would like to introduce you to someone. This is Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He is Little Tony DiNozzo Gibbs' daddy," she said with a smile at Jethro.

"Ah, my dear boy, it is such a pleasure to meet you! Henrietta spoke with me at length about her concerns for your little one after her visit to your home several nights ago. I am greatly impressed by you and also by your son." Ducky shook hands with Jethro.

"Pleasure's all mine, Doc," Jethro said. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh please…do call me Ducky," the older man tutted. "Everyone does."

"I got something!" Franks yelled from the sandbox. He held a hand up as if brandishing an award. "Hetty! I got something!"

Hetty glanced at Ducky and Jethro. "Excuse me," she said softly. "I need to go see what he's got. Gunny I'll need to speak with your wife and children before we call it a night."

Gibbs nodded. He didn't like it, but they had all seen it, so they had to all report. He sighed, frustrated, and nearly jumped out of his skin when a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. "I'm sure this is difficult for you," Ducky said softly.

The marine eyed the doctor carefully. There was something so…inherently trustworthy about this man…Jethro felt himself immediately drawn to him. He wanted to talk to him, get to know him, seek out his wisdom…he wanted to be friends. But that was silly—this man worked for NCIS—and was an interim ME…he probably wasn't even from around here…

"It's hard because it's always been safe here," Jethro said softly. "I've raised my Kelly here since she was tiny…it's the only home she remembers…and Tony…this is the first safe home he's ever had. I can't stand the thought that something might disrupt that."

"You remind me of a young man I once encountered while I was exploring the Amazon Rainforest," Ducky said. His eyes lit up with the memory, and Jethro found himself immediately swept up in the tale. "I was traveling by voadeira—a flying boat if you will—on the Amazon River. I encountered a young man there who was nearly delirious in his desperation to keep his family safe from—"

"Ducky!" Hetty's voice called from the sandbox. "Could you come here please?"

"Please excuse me Gunny," Ducky said softly. "I'll have to finish my tale some other time, I'm afraid."

Jethro followed the ME across the playground to the sandbox. Hetty was standing on the outside of it, her body firmly inserted between any passers-by who might want a look and the young girl still lying prone in the sandbox.

"We need a time of death Ducky," Hetty said. "Could you make a guess?"

Jethro turned away slightly while the ME pulled out his liver probe to investigate the girl's approximate time of death. Something shiny caught his eye in the quickly fading daylight and he stooped to the ground. He knelt down, taking care not to touch anything, and squinted his sniper eyes, trying to get a better look at the object on the ground next to the dead girl.

"Oh shit," he whispered. "Agent Hetty," he said, standing back up and whirling around to face her. "I think I found something."

Mike was busy putting the scrap of material he'd found into his evidence bag and labeling it. "Next thing ya know, this guy's gonna wanna be an NCIS agent," he snarked softly, indicating Jethro with his head.

Hetty shot Mike a dirty look and turned her attention to what Jethro was pointing at. Her eyes narrowed a bit and she pulled out a pen, taking care to hook it in such a way that she would leave no finger prints on it…and she slowly lifted the small keychain up off the ground.

Hetty examined the keychain and smiled, nodding slowly. "That's good work, Gunny," she said. There was something etched into the side, but it looked like it had been damaged in order to cover up the inscription. While she held it up, Jethro got a better look at what the object was, and his gut clenched.

"Can I look at that closer?" he asked softly.

Hetty glanced carefully at Jethro and nodded. She handed him a pair of plastic gloves. "Put these on so you don't get your fingerprints all over it," she said gently. He snapped on the gloves and then she handed him the small trinket.

"Holy shit," Jethro breathed softly. He looked closely at the keychain…the keychain he'd given to each member of his unit when everyone had been promoted several months earlier. Jethro's team was making leaps and bounds of progress, and he'd wanted to do something to show them he was proud of them. He'd picked out these keychains, and had the words _Semper Fi_ engraved on one side of the small brass disc, and on the back side he'd had the initials of each of his marines carved into one of the keychains—each one got a keychain from him. It'd been quite an expensive gift—he'd bought eleven of them, but he was proud and wanted to show them as much.

Looking at this keychain now, it seemed as though someone had taken a knife or a rock and had beaten up the side with the initials on it badly—were they trying to cover up who they were? Were they leaving a clue? What was going on here?

"I gave these keychains to every person in my unit," Jethro said softly. He looked at Hetty. "Does this mean for sure that someone in my unit is killing people?"

Hetty and Mike exchanged a glance. "I'd say that could be a good possibility," Hetty replied softly.

TBC...


	15. Trembling

_Thanks as always to my wonderfully awesome beta, Gotgoats! You are awesome! _

**Warning: **Intense chapter ahead! Proceed with caution! Brace yourself!

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 15: Trembling**

Hetty was growing increasingly concerned for the safety of the Gibbs family. It seemed that their killer was potentially someone that Jethro knew, someone he worked with. She held out an evidence bag. "Gunny put the keychain in the bag. I'm going to need a complete list of every person who is in your unit."

Jethro nodded. "I can do that. I'll go into the office tomorrow and get the list for you."

Jethro and Hetty began walking towards the gate. They'd almost reached it when Jethro stopped. His brow furrowed and he looked around uncertainly. The ground under his feet felt strange…almost…unsettled. It was almost as though the ground was beginning to shake.

"Did you feel that?" he asked softly.

Hetty stopped and glanced back at him. "Feel wha—" she broke off when she felt the ground beneath her feet begin to vibrate.

"It's an earthquake!" Jethro exclaimed. "Everybody get down!"

Jethro and Hetty quickly hit the dirt, and Hetty gasped in surprise when she saw Jethro beginning to crawl away on his belly. "Gunny what are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I have to check on my family," he called over his shoulder. "I have to know they're ok."

Hetty called to him again, but he continued on. He'd crawl all the way home if he had to. Luckily, just as he reached the gate, the awful shaking and trembling stopped. Jethro sprang to his feet and started to run.

"GUNNY!" Hetty screamed. Jethro halted and turned around. Hetty was back on her feet and the others were standing up as well. "Dr. Mallard and I are coming with you. Ducky let's move!"

xxx

Shannon had carefully helped Little Tony into his pajamas and Kelly was putting food in Sasha's bowl. Ever since they'd arrived home Sasha had been acting strangely. Shannon thought maybe it was because of the upset in the park, maybe Sasha hadn't calmed down from it yet.

"Mommy Sasha acting crazy!" Tony giggled, watching his dogs antics.

"I think someone gave her a silly snack, don't you?" Shannon said with a smile at her little boy.

Tony, firmly settled on his futon, smiled and nodded, giggling more.

Right in the middle of his giggle, the world began to shake around them. The pictures rattled on the walls, a vase of flowers on the table next to the window shook off of the table. His futon was shaking—everything was moving! Tony's eyes widened. He'd been in an earthquake before, but he was in his box, so he thought that it was only his box that shook.

"Kelly! Move honey—get in this doorway!" Shannon called. She was stuck, halfway between both of her children…which way to go—which child to choose? She sighed and glanced back at Tony.

"Mommy get Kelly!" Tony yelled. He was sliding off of the futon and getting on the floor. Shannon looked torn and then they heard Kelly scream and the sound of glass breaking. The ground was still shaking and Tony's eyes widened. "MOMMY GET KELLY!" he screeched. He was crawling for the doorway—he was safe, he was fine.

Shannon darted away and came back with Kelly. Tony was almost to the doorway when he heard a strange sound. He looked up and saw the wall, staircase and doorway cracking. He followed the crack with his eyes and realized it was directly above where Shannon had stopped only for a moment to briefly reassure Kelly—it was going to fall on them.

Tony pushed himself up on his good knee and threw himself forward, slamming into both of them. He pushed them out of the doorway just as it collapsed down on him. Sheetrock and wood landed on Tony's back. Tony didn't scream though, he didn't yell. He looked up and saw Shannon's look of horror as she realized what he'd done, and saw the doorway where they'd been standing. Her Little Tony, her Brave Little Tony had saved them.

Then the ground stopped shaking, and everything was completely still.

Shannon coughed as the dust settled and began trying to move the boards and debris off of Tony, but couldn't get it to budge. She looked at him. His glasses were dusty, and his helmet was slightly crooked, but he appeared to be mostly ok. She couldn't see his legs though. "Tony? Sweetheart are you ok?"

Sasha appeared at Tony's side and began licking his face. Tony giggled. "I's ok," he said softly.

"Mommy Tony saved us!" Kelly exclaimed. She looked at the doorway with wide eyes, realizing she could have been under all of that. A further glance showed that some of the staircase had collapsed as well—and landed on top of Tony. "The stairs falled on him Mommy, look!" Kelly pointed.

"I see it honey," Shannon said softly. "Tony do your legs hurt? Can you feel your legs?"

"I feel 'em," Tony said. "They hurting but only a little bit."

Suddenly the front door burst open and there was Jethro. "SHANNON? KELLY! TONY!" His heart nearly stopped when he saw the collapsed staircase and most of one wall missing.

"Daddy!" Kelly squealed. "We're here Daddy!"

"Head for the dining room Jethro," Shannon called.

He started through the living room, vaguely acknowledging when Hetty and Ducky arrived, and saw two little feet sticking out from under the debris in the doorway. "Ohmygod," Jethro breathed. "Tony? Tony is that you are you ok Tony talk to Daddy what happened to you?"

"I's ok, Daddy," Tony said softly, his voice slightly muffled. "I think the stairs falled on me," he reported.

"Shannon can you see Tony? Is he alright—he didn't hit his head again did he?"

"I can see him Jethro," she said. He could only barely see her over the pile of house that was lying on his son. "He says he can feel his legs and they're hurting a bit, but that he's okay."

Jethro ran a hand through his hair. "Jesus," he breathed. What a night. He'd like to go back to dinner time and do the whole evening differently. "Ok Tony? Can you hear me son?"

"I hear you Daddy," Tony said softly.

"Tony I'm going to move the stairs off of you alright? Just sit still ok—don't try to move or help me. Once we get them moved off of you we'll get you all fixed up ok?"

"Ok," Tony said softly.

Just as Jethro began to move the heavy wood, another pair of hands appeared and the load became lighter. Jethro looked up and saw Mike Franks standing there, straining to lift the wood with him. Together they lifted the staircase, but couldn't get it to move far.

"Shannon can you get Tony out?" Jethro called, his voice tight under the strain of the weight.

"He's still stuck," Shannon called. "There's something else holding him down."

"It's the wall, Gunny," Franks said. From where he was standing he could see the whole wall down on the little boy. "We gotta get the wall and the stairs off of him. Might be easier to get the wall first."

It didn't take them long to get the debris cleared enough that Hetty and Shannon could pull Tony out of the busted doorway. They laid him down carefully and rolled him to his back. Dr. Mallard appeared at their sides, having slipped through to the backdoor, prepared at a moment's notice to provide any medical assistance needed.

"If I may, my dear, I am a doctor. Will you allow me to look the boy over?" Ducky said to Shannon.

Shannon raised an eyebrow and looked at him, but found herself nodding. "Yes, yes please. I'm a nurse, so if I can help, please let me know."

Tony lay on his back and stared up at the doctor. Ducky stared down at this remarkable child and smiled. "My dear boy, can you tell me your name?" Of course he knew Tony's name, but he needed to establish a rapport with the child.

"I-I's Tony," the little boy said softly.

"Hello there Tony," Dr. Mallard said, his smile widening. "My name is Dr. Mallard, but you may call me Ducky."

"Like a mallard duck?" the child inquired softly, his eyes widening. He'd heard about mallard ducks on the animal planet show he'd been watching several days before. "They talk about 'em on a tv," he continued. "They gots green heads!"

"Indeed they do!" Ducky said. "And yes, my nickname comes from that reference. What a clever boy you are. Now. Can you tell me if anything hurts?"

Tony quietly took inventory of his body to see if anything was hurting. "Um…my leg hurting some," he said. "The one I broked and got fixed. And my shoulder hurting some."

"Does your back hurt?" Tony shook his head. "Your neck?" He shook his head again. "Do you have a headache?"

"Yeah," Tony whispered. "My head hurting some."

Jethro dropped to his knees next to his boy. He looked up at Shannon and squeezed her hand. She leaned down and kissed his cheek softly and he could feel her whole body trembling. "Tony saved us," she said quietly. "Kelly and I were in the doorway, and Tony saw the stairs and wall coming down. I left him on the futon because I thought he'd be safer there. Then all of a sudden he slammed into us—he slid off the futon and crawled over and raised up on his good leg and pushed us out of the doorway. It would have fallen on us Jethro," tears welled up in her eyes.

Jethro stood up and hugged her. It had been quite an evening. "It's alright," he said softly. "He's ok. Look at him, he's talking to Ducky and he seems like he's just fine. Banged up a little is all."

Tony reached out a hand and wrapped his fingers around Jethro's ankle. "I hadda save 'em Daddy," he said softly.

Jethro looked at Shannon then dropped back to his knees. "Can you tell me about that Tony?" he asked carefully.

Tony pushed himself up on one elbow, but all of the grownups around him quickly (and loudly) urged him back down. Mistaking everyone's concern for anger, Tony's brow creased and tears filled his eyes. "I's sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"Oh no, Tony no," Jethro said. He carefully unfastened the helmet and slid it off, and then he plucked the glasses off of his child's head and cleaned them on his t-shirt. "Tony we're just worried you might be hurt. We didn't mean to yell and carry on so loudly. Now. Can you tell me about how you saved everyone?" Jethro kept his voice much softer now, and his fingers traced lightly through Little Tony's hair.

Tony diverted his eyes, Jethro saw that he was looking out of the right side of his face—the side where the blindness was. "I had to," he whispered softly.

Jethro picked up Tony's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Talk to me about it son. Tell me why you felt like you had to. You could have been hurt really badly! I was so worried!"

"Because you tol' me to Daddy," Tony said softly, looking at Jethro as though he'd lost his mind. "You's tol' me at a park, pretend a be a marine like you. You's tol' me a keep the girls safe."

Jethro paled and Shannon gripped his shoulder lightly. Behind them, Hetty gasped softly.

"I hadda keep them safe," Tony said firmly. "A cause if they was to get hurted…" he shuddered and two tears spilled and rolled down his cheeks, leaving a path where they washed away the dirt and dust.

Jethro knelt over him and hugged him as well as he could. He pressed his face in close to his child's neck and breathed his sweet little boy scent, and listened to his heart beating. He raised back up and didn't try to hide the tears on his cheeks this time. He cupped Little Tony's face in his hands and he kissed him on the forehead before leaning his forehead against Tony's.

"I am so proud of you," he said softly. "You're the best marine I've got kiddo. I am so glad you're safe. But you've got to make sure you keep yourself safe too ok?" When Tony nodded, Jethro looked up at his family—his family that maybe he now owed to his little Tony. "I am so glad all of you are safe."

Ducky quickly looked Tony over, and decided that Tony looked no worse for wear. "Keep an eye on him," the older doctor advised. "If he begins to show signs of injury, do not hesitate to take him to the hospital immediately. However I do believe he managed to escape relatively unscathed. I do trust that he has some method of pain management available to him?"

"Yes," Shannon said softly. "He's got his pain medication and muscle relaxers."

"I might recommend giving him the fully prescribed amounts tonight. Just in case there is some muscle cramping or bone aching resulting from this incident."

"We can do that," Shannon said. "We'll make sure he doesn't hurt."

"Mommy!" Kelly exclaimed. "Daddy!"

"What is it baby girl?" Jethro asked softly.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Kelly claimed breathlessly, her eyes still wide with shock.

"Oh Jethro the stairs," Shannon said softly. She hung her head and put her face in her hands. "What are we going to do? We can't get up the stairs."

"I can climb up and get us all some clothes and our toothbrushes and things," Jethro said. "I suppose we'll have to find a hotel…one that preferably is nice and wheelchair accessible that has a bathroom big enough for two adults to fit inside of it to give Little Tony his bath…not sure how we'll afford it long enough to get the house fixed, but…"

Hetty glanced at Mike and then at Ducky who nodded. "Let me make a call," she said softly. She walked out the back door of the house and dialed her cell phone.

xxx

Norman Giles snatched the phone up off of his desk. "Assistant Director Giles," he snapped. This earthquake had everyone up and down the coast in a frenzy, and he was almost afraid to see what was going to happen next.

"_Norman this is Hetty,"_ came the slightly distorted voice of his Senior Agent. _"I have a situation."_

"You and the rest of the state of California," Norman said. Really he liked Hetty, but sometimes he thought she was a bit too dramatic.

"_I am down at Pendleton,"_ Hetty said. _"And it seems as though we maybe caught the brunt of this earthquake. Long story short, the family who found my DB in the sandbox just had their inside staircase fall and land on their six year old son. They can't get upstairs to their beds until their house is fixed. I want to put them up in a safe house."_

The director frowned. Safe houses were reserved for eyewitnesses, people who were in danger from one threat or another, not for families whose homes had been damaged by Mother Nature.

"Hetty I understand that you want to help this family out," Giles started, "but you have to understand that we don't have enough safe houses to put up every family in Southern California whose home was damaged by this quake."

"_I understand that _Director_,"_ Hetty said sweetly. _"However, the Gunny here and his wife and kids found the body. The Gunny also located a clue which has indicated almost certainly that our prime suspects are the people in his unit, and that our murderer is someone in his unit. I think it would be in our best interest to keep him and his family safe. Really, they've been very cooperative."_

"Hetty I understand your concern however I—"

"_Dir…tor…brea…up…"_ Hetty said, purposefully cutting her voice in and out. _"I'll…put…up…house."_ She snapped the phone shut and smirked. Oh she'd get in trouble for that one, she felt certain. But this family needed help and she had the wherewithal to help them. Nodding to herself, she turned around and walked back inside.

"I've found a place for you all to stay," Hetty said with a smile. "We have a house here in Pendleton. It's not extremely large, but it is wheelchair accessible, and the bathroom is large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. I have just spoken with the LA Director, Norman Giles. You will be able to stay there."

Ducky smiled. "Well done Henrietta!" he exclaimed.

Hetty shot Ducky a look that told him there was more to the story. Then she quickly looked back to Jethro and Shannon. "If you all would gather your things up, I will take you to the house. You'll be quite safe there I'm sure."

Jethro nodded his head. "I don't know how to thank you…we can pay you if—"

"Nonsense," Hetty said. "You don't owe us anything. Now, gather your things, Gunny."

Jethro looked at Shannon. "Get together Tony's meds and stuff? I'll get the stuff from upstairs."

Shannon nodded and turned, slowly making her way to the kitchen. "Kelly will you stay with Tony please?" she called. "Sit right with him. Don't leave him."

"Ok Mommy," Kelly said. She sat down on the floor next to her brother.

Jethro jumped up and grabbed the lowest step that was still attached to the top floor of the house. He pulled himself up and Tony giggled. "Daddy strong," he commented. "He gots big muscles Agent Hetty!"

Hetty stood protectively near the children, watching as their daddy climbed up to the top floor of their house. She took in the way his muscles tightened and rippled under the thin t-shirt he was wearing and she nodded appreciatively. "Yes," she agreed. "Yes he does."

Ducky accompanied Shannon to the kitchen. He silently noted how her hands shook slightly and how she dropped nearly everything she picked up. Closer examination revealed that her eyes were watery and filled with tears that she was blinking back furiously, refusing to let fall.

Ducky placed a gentle hand on Shannon's shoulder. "My dear," he said softly and Shannon's jerky preparations stilled. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Shannon took a deep breath and then nodded. "I'm fine Dr. Mallard, er, Ducky. Thank you." She forced a smile to her face. It reached all of her features except for her eyes.

"I'm sure it's been a very trying evening for all of you," he observed gently.

Shannon nodded and moved to pick up the bottle of Tony's muscle relaxer. When it slipped from her fingers and hit the floor, plastic bottle bouncing under the cabinet, she raised a hand to her mouth and tried to swallow the sob that suddenly escaped. Ducky moved a bit closer and picked up the bottle off the floor and set it on the counter. He didn't touch her, merely stood by offering silent support.

After a few moments Shannon squared her shoulders and looked at him. She turned back to her preparations, eyes focused on her work. "It's been a trying few months," she said softly. "Everything just keeps piling up. It's just…sometimes it's harder to handle than others."

xxx

Gabriella Oliver touched up her lipstick one last time and glanced at the clock on the dash. Nearly eight. The earthquake had thrown everyone into a tailspin and she hadn't been sure she'd be able to break away from work. But thankfully, her relief had showed up and she'd been turned loose. She found she was missing her Gunny. MSgt Johnson was, if possible, even tougher and grumbly-er than Gibbs was. Gibbs was firm—a real hard ass—but he was fair, and he treated everyone with respect. He didn't talk to people like they were stupid—unless they were being stupid. He was a grouch and was generally difficult to make happy, but Johnson…Oh Lord he was impossible to make happy! Oh well. No matter now. It was Friday night and she was going to have some fun.

Gabriella was a Lance Corporal in the Marines. She was coming up on the end of her contract, and her Cos had been hounding her for her decision on whether or not she was going to re-enlist. She hadn't decided what she wanted to do yet. Her parents were encouraging her to come home. They wanted to be closer to Gabriella and her little two year old son, Jacob. Gabriella wasn't sure she wanted to get out of the Marines though. There was something appealing about living in sunny, Southern California. Sure she had to work a pretty big number of hours each week, but on her downtime she was able to hit the beach, party it up, go to playdates with other moms in the neighborhood, and generally enjoy herself. She had no desire to return to Vermont and her very-boring-life there. If she did get out, she didn't have any back up plans—she hadn't gone to college while she was enlisted as many of her colleagues had chosen to do. She blamed that on Jacob when it was mentioned, but the truth was, she'd not wanted to give up her drinking, partying, and yes, occasional chemical induced high. If she went back home she'd have nothing. Nothing but Jacob. She loved her son—really she did—but he had been unplanned, an accident, the result of an unfortunately fast relationship that had resulted in many bad decisions.

Gabriella walked into the house and didn't bother to knock. She set her keys down on the table and stopped long enough to smile at herself in the mirror in the hallway. For base housing, this place was fixed up really nicely.

"Hello?" she called. "Babe? You here?"

She walked to the stairs and started up to the second level. The house was quiet, almost eerily so, and Gabriella felt her gut twinge a bit.

"Anybody here?"

She got to the top of the stairs and peeked in the first bedroom. The bed was all ready, candles were lit, the shades were drawn, the air conditioner was blowing cool and the sheets looked crisp and fresh. Gabriella smiled. It looked perfect.

"Pepe? Hey baby? Where are you?"

Gabriella continued down the hall to the next bedroom. There was some sound coming from that room, odd and unfamiliar to the young marine. She stopped in the doorway and watched her friend—really they were more like fuck buddies than friends—as he carefully unloaded and inspected a box of…

"Pepe?" her voice was tinged with nervousness and fear. What was he doing? Dear God what had she walked in on? It looked like some kind of trafficking operation.

Her companion turned around quickly and her eyes widened. "What are you doing?" Gabriella hissed. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you can get into?" She stared in horror at the drugs—so many pouches, syringes, vials—so many drugs, and eventually managed to lift her gaze.

Pepe was standing before her, and the look in his eyes was…different. Scary. Sinister. Murderous. "No," Gabriella whispered. A hand rose to her mouth. "I…I won't say nothin'," she murmured. "Please…c'mon Pepe you know me. I have a baby—I won't get you into trouble!" She backed out of the room towards the stairs.

Once she made it into the hallway, she turned and ran. She made it almost to the door when a hand grabbed her arm and she screamed.

"Shuddup bitch," came the low, threatening tone, right next to her ear. Pepe slammed Gabriella hard against the wall. He couldn't believe he'd been so careless—how could he have lost track of time like that? Truth was, he was becoming obsessed—with the drugs, with the trafficking, with the murders. They were beautiful. Absolutely angelic—and as those women died—as they just drifted off into a permanent drug induced slumber…it made him feel warm.

And now fucking Gabriella was going to screw it up. Unless…

He backed off and let up on her, letting her turn around and face him, her back pressed against the wall. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just lost track of time, and you surprised me, and…and I know I could get into a lot of trouble. But I could also make a lot of money too. You like money don't you?"

Gabriella nodded, but tears of fear were filling her eyes. As they spilled over, he reached up and cupped her face gently, using the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears on her cheek. "I'm sorry I frightened you Gabby," he murmured.

She took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "It's alright Pepe," she whispered, using his nickname. "You know you can trust me. I won't say anything!"

"You want some dope? Something to take the edge off and make tonight extra special?" he purred in her ear.

Gabriella shook her head. "N-not tonight," she whispered. "I just um…remembered…my babysitter wasn't feeling so great. I gotta go!"

"But you just got here! And you were so excited about coming in! I could hear it in your voice!"

"I know I was, but I just have been thinking about Macy and how tired she looked and how sick…I can't make her stay there with Jacob all night. We'll try again maybe tomorrow. How's tomorrow sound?"

Pepe looked at her for a long moment. "Tomorrow…sounds fantastic," he finally relented.

She smiled and nodded. "It's a date then! I wouldn't miss it! I'll see if I can get someone other than Macy to stay with Jacob so I don't have to worry about him, ya know? I mean she's just a young kid anyways, who knows what kinda germs she might be passing to him?"

"Yeah wouldn't want anything to happen to Jacob," Pepe agreed.

Gabriella froze for a split second but recovered quickly. She kissed Pepe on the cheek and ran a finger down his chest. "Ok mister," she said saucily. "I will see _you_ tomorrow."

"I can't wait," Pepe said smoothly.

Gabriella nodded. She grabbed her keys and turned and left, forcing herself not to run. Gabriella walked to her car, got inside, and started the ignition. She drove carefully down the street, music blaring as it always was, doing everything she could to appear normal. She glanced in her rear view mirror to make sure she wasn't being followed. So far she wasn't. Maybe Pepe bought it.

Without another glance behind her, Gabriella turned her car towards the MP's office and floored it.

TBC…


	16. Regrouping

_Thanks to my wonderful beta for your help with this chapter! Gotgoats you rock baby!_

_**Warning: Minor OC Character Death ahead. Beware: creepiness ahead.**_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 16: Regrouping**

In the car, on their way to the safe house, Jethro glanced over at Shannon. Her pretty eyes were red rimmed and the young man could see that at some point in the recent past his pretty wife had been crying. He reached over and wrapped his fingers around her hand and squeezed lightly.

"Ok Momma?" he asked softly, keeping one hand one the wheel and one eye on the road as they followed the NCIS agents. Hetty wanted to drive them there, but Jethro had insisted that they needed their own car.

"I'm ok," she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly. She glanced at him and then over her shoulder at the two kids who had fallen asleep in the backseat after their exciting evening. "Have to be," she murmured.

Jethro's mouth set into a grim line. "It's going to get better," he promised. "Won't be hard like this forever."

She nodded. "I know," she said softly. Shannon looked at Jethro. "I was so scared today. The playground," she shuddered, "and then…and then the earthquake…I thought Tony was dead. It seemed for a split second that everything we'd done, everything we've all been working for was just…"

"Hey," Jethro said gently. Shannon looked at him, but didn't speak. "He's ok," Jethro said softly. "He's ok."

Shannon nodded and looked at her lap. "I wouldn't have been able to ever forgive myself if…" her voice broke off in a quiet sob.

Jethro squeezed her hand again and then rubbed his hand up and down her thigh gently before patting it reassuringly. "I know," he said softly. "Believe me. I know."

Once they arrived at the safe house, Jethro let out a long breath. "Here we go," he said. "Let's do this." He got out of the car slowly, surprised by how tired he was, and moved to the backseat. They'd decided once the children fell asleep that Jethro would get Tony in—hopefully with the help of Hetty or Ducky—and Shannon could take Kelly. Once both children were inside they'd be able to come back out for their belongings.

Tony gasped in pain when Jethro moved him, causing his daddy to move slower and even more gently than normal. He blinked his eyes open weakly and stared at Jethro. "M'leg h-hurss," he mumbled sleepily.

Jethro pushed some of the hair back from Tony's forehead and kissed his cheek softly. "I'll get your wheelchair. Probably will work better, huh," Jethro said softly. Tony hummed his assent.

Ducky appeared at Jethro's side. "May I be of any assistance?" he inquired softly, trying not to wake the children up. Shannon was carefully digging Kelly out of her booster seat. Tony had fallen asleep again, his head lolled forward on the seatbelt.

"Actually yes," Jethro said. "I can get him under his arms and his bottom; you support his leg so it stays level."

Ducky nodded and together the two men gently lifted the small boy out of the car. Tony stiffened in Jethro's arms and whimpered, but whether it was in fear or pain neither man could tell. "It's ok Tony," Jethro said softly, "Daddy's got you, it's ok. Shhhh...Daddy's got you."

Tony relaxed then, but he blinked his eyes open as soon as he was placed into the wheelchair. "What's this place?" he wondered, digging a curled hand into a sleepy eye.

"This is the house that Agent Hetty found for us to stay in while they fix our real house," Jethro explained. "We'll go back there as soon as the stairs and the wall get fixed."

Tony nodded. "You's gonna stay here with me?" After the stressful day, Tony's old fears and insecurities were rearing their ugly heads.

Jethro stopped the chair and knelt beside Tony. "Of course I'll stay with you," he said. "I've got your six, remember?"

Tony grinned. He had another loose tooth; it wouldn't be long before that cute smile was snaggly once again. "I a member," he affirmed.

Jethro nodded and stood up. "Attaboy," he said with a smile. Together they all moved into the house.

Tony's eyes widened when they entered the safe house. "That a really big tv Daddy," he exclaimed, pointing at the flat screen television.

"My goodness," Shannon said, slightly breathlessly when she took in the house. From the outside it didn't look particularly large, but inside it was spacious, and there were windows providing bright natural lighting in the house—even though it was getting late in the evening. "This house is beautiful!" She turned and looked at Hetty in surprise. "Are you sure we can't pay you something to stay here?" She sank down to sit on the couch.

"No payment my dear," Hetty said. She stepped closer and put her hands lightly on Shannon's shoulders. Ducky had talked to her on the way over about how the young woman was upset before they left, and she felt her own maternal nature coming out, protective over this family, and especially this young woman. "You have been through quite a bit. It is my pleasure to be able to help you."

Shannon smiled and nodded silently, bowing her head a bit. "Thank you," she whispered.

Hetty patted her on the shoulders. "You're welcome."

xxx

Gabriella threw her car in park and checked her mirrors carefully before getting out of the car. She straightened her dress and ran a hand over her hair as she walked into the MP's office. With a glance over her shoulder one last time, she let the door close behind her.

Walking up to the counter, Gabriella stood there for a long moment before the officer at the desk looked up. "Can I help you?" he asked eventually.

"I um…there's…I saw…" she began rambling, stuttering and speaking brokenly, trying to make sense of what she'd seen. What _had _she seen?

The officer, whose name badge said "Lewis" huffed impatiently. "You're going to have to tell me what happened if you want me to help you," he said.

Gabriella took a moment to try and collect herself. Tears spilled from her eyes as she thought of her precious baby Jacob and what could happen to him. "I saw…I went to my friend's house…and he…he had…cases and cases…"

"Cases and cases of what?" Lewis had his hands folded in front of him on the desk, not even taking notes.

"Drugs," Gabriella whispered.

"What kind of drugs?"

"I don't know…they were in bottles…I couldn't see the labels…I didn't…I didn't get that close."

"Was it cold medicine or something else?" Lewis sounded bored now. Didn't this chick realize they had better, more important things to worry about? There was a serial killer on the loose on their base!

"No! No I think they were…they looked like bottles that you put syringes into. I don't know what it was. But he's not a doctor or a medic…he shouldn't have had them. He's not sick."

"I'm sorry Miss—"

"My name is Gabriella Oliver," she said.

"—Miss Oliver, but without more concrete information we can't help you. We can't go look in this guy's house for medicines—don't you know every person on the planet has medications in their homes?"

"It—It wasn't medicine!" Gabriella said, her voice rising with growing hysteria. Why wouldn't this guy listen? "I'm telling you, Officer, that they are illegal drugs. And they are on this base!"

"And what authority do you have to be on this base?" he asked coolly. "May I see your base pass?"

Gabriella dug her USMC ID out of her purse. "I am a Lance Corporal," she said. "Please, this is scary! There are children on this base!"

"Yes, yes there are," Lewis said. "And those children keep finding dead bodies on the playground. I'm sorry but we need more information before we can help you."

"If this guy is dealing drugs…he knows I saw it…he probably knows I'm here! He'll kill me!"

"I think you are overreacting, Lance Corporal. But, just for safety's sake, tell me who your friend is."

Gabriella told Lewis what Pepe's name was, what his rank was, and what his address was. Lewis looked over his notes. "Alright," he said resignedly, "We'll make a note of your concern. If you have any further problems let us know."

Gabriella stared at him. "You…that's it? You're going to make a note of it?"

Lewis nodded. "What else would you like me to do? We don't have a drug problem here on this base. But if drugs should begin to appear, then we will use this information as our starting place. Thank you for stopping by."

Knowing she'd been dismissed, Gabriella sighed and left. She sat down in her car and let out a long shuddering breath. They didn't believe her. The MPs didn't believe her. She started the car.

Now what?

xxx

After Gabriella left, Pepe shut the door and locked it tightly. He went back upstairs and blew out the candles in the bedroom. Stepping to the next bedroom down the hall, he looked over his shipment again. He'd just received the boxes of Heroin this afternoon, and then that damn earthquake had hit. He'd been inspecting each vial carefully to make sure that none of them had been damaged in the quake, when Gabby had showed up. And oh boy she'd seen way too much.

Pepe tried to console himself by saying that at least she didn't know about the bodies. He'd been watching the investigation from this very bedroom window—the one that over looked the playground. He'd watched his girls lie there in the sand, watched them get rained on, and imagined their deaths over and over again. And then he watched as the first group of little boys found Ruby's body.

**Flashback**

_Ruby had been a real beauty. It wasn't hard though, for him to get her attention at that frat party. He hadn't been invited to the party, was merely crashing it and hanging around outside, when he'd seen her. She'd been inside, near a window, and he'd caught her eye. Motioning for her to come outside, she'd blushed prettily and then a few moments later joined him. The two began talking, and Pepe was astounded at how smart she was. And on top of being smart, she was a knockout—absolutely breathtaking to look at._

_They'd talked for a long time, enjoying the summer evening that was cool for a change. They talked about the weather—the storms that were set to roll in overnight—and they talked about her major. They talked about him being a sergeant in the Marines and she had smiled and gushed over him when he told her that. She told him about how she just adored a man in uniform. He'd smiled then, and offered to take her back to his place so he could show her his uniforms._

_Ruby had agreed, and she went to tell her friends that she was leaving. The boy she was with had dismissed her with a quick hug and a kiss to her cheek, the girl she had come with wanted to see him, so she'd brought her outside to meet the young sergeant. Unlike Ruby this girl's hair was long and blond, her features were lighter and sunnier than her friend's. Lilah had liked Pepe instantly._

_Bidding everyone goodbye, the two had walked off down the street to where Pepe had parked his car. Ruby fastened her seatbelt and then lightly chastised him when he didn't fasten his. "I like to be able to make a quick escape if I need one," he'd told her with a carefree laugh. Ruby had giggled and dropped the subject. _

_While stopped at a red light, Pepe reached over and he grabbed her hand lightly. He'd smiled and squeezed it gently. She'd glanced back at him and smiled, and then glanced down at their hands. Quick as a flash he hit the button to lock all the doors in his car. From his other hand he produced a small plastic pen—it looked like a ballpoint pen—and he pressed it to her finger before pressing the button on the side._

_Ruby yelped in pain, and the expression on her face was one of confusion. She stuck her finger in her mouth and moved to unfasten the seatbelt. Suddenly she swayed and she pawed clumsily at the car door, obviously wanting to get out and run away. _

_Finally she'd slumped back on the seat, senseless and incoherent, and Pepe brushed her hair back carefully. He was so excited, he could barely contain himself._

_Ruby had awaked later, on the bed. She seemed calm and Pepe knew she wasn't able to speak, though she did likely feel dreadfully dizzy and nauseous. Pepe suddenly loomed over her and he wondered what she was thinking. He wondered if she was trying not to think about what was going to happen to her next. He wondered if Lilah would have the sense to go to the police once Ruby didn't come home. That may be a loose end he'd need to tie up. But that'd be ok with him. Lilah seemed like a nice girl._

_The sergeant sat down on the bed beside Ruby, and stroked his hand lightly through her tangled hair. "Shhhh," he cooed to her. He held up a needle. "It won't hurt. I promise. I would never hurt you, Ruby."_

_All she'd been able to manage was a soft moan of protest. He'd brushed her hair carefully out of the way and made the injection right into the spot where her ear meets her head—where no one would see a small needle mark. "Shhhh," he said. "Just go to sleep. Shhhh." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. By the time he raised back up, Ruby had died._

_It was glorious._

**End Flashback**

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Pepe turned and left the bedroom. He headed up the hall, to the room furthest from his master bedroom, and opened the door slowly. It really was good fortune that Gabby hadn't come into this room. That would have been disastrous. He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. Clicking on the lamp, he smiled.

Lilah lay on the bed. It was obvious she was still under the influence of his first little surprise drug that he'd given her earlier in the evening…

**Flashback**

_It was late Friday afternoon, the start of the glorious long weekend at San Diego State, and Pepe was not spared a second glance by anyone as he made his way up to the dorm on campus. He knocked on the door to Ruby's old room and after a moment heard a shuffling sound. Seconds later, Lilah answered the door and Pepe's eyes widened slightly. Gone was the perfect makeup. Gone was the carefully styled hair and trendy clothes. In their place were limp blond locks and rumpled sweatpants and tank top._

_Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw who it was._

"_I just heard the news," Pepe said regretfully. "Oh Lilah I'm so sorry." He opened his arms as Lilah began to cry again. He hugged her tenderly, stroking her hair lightly for several minutes. "C'mon," he said softly. "Let's take a walk. C'mon you need the fresh air. Let's go."_

_She sobbed once more then nodded and closed the door behind them. Lilah realized that she'd left her keys in her room. "Oh dammit," she whispered. "I just locked myself out."_

"_I can pick locks," Pepe said. "Let's go for our walk and when we come back I'll pick the lock and let you back in."_

_Lilah regarded him for a long moment before nodding. "Ok," she whispered. _

_He held out his arm and she walked into his embrace again. Together they walked out of the dorm, his arm protectively around her shoulders, one of her hands clutching a tissue, the other hand was tightly twisted into the back of his t-shirt._

_Pepe led them down a long, tree lined path, toward a secluded parking lot. There was a small red sedan parked in the otherwise empty lot. Lilah was so ensconced in her grief that she didn't even realize that she was in danger until it was too late. He walked her right over to the car, opened the trunk, and pulled out the small lancet-type device. Lilah stayed snuggled against his shoulder, eyes closed and tears leaking down her cheeks. Her nose was tucked in close to his neck, breathing in the scent of this strong, beautiful man, and she never saw the attack. Pepe lifted her hand, holding it soothingly, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand, and quick as lightning he pricked her, right on the tip of her finger._

_Lilah gasped then, lifting her head. Her eyes filled with fear and she looked at this man—this man who was the last person Ruby had been seen alive with—and fear took hold of her gut. "Y-you…" she murmured faintly as the powerful drug took effect. Her legs buckled and Pepe lifted Lilah oh so gently into the trunk of the car. _

"_Yes," he said softly. "Me. Goodnight Lilah." Pepe smiled at her, kissed her on the forehead, and closed the trunk. Lilah was already asleep._

_As he climbed into the driver's seat of the small car, Pepe snickered softly. "Looks like you won't be needing that lock picked after all," he said softly._

**End Flashback**

Pepe sat with Lilah until the drug started to wear off. She groaned first and then her eyelids fluttered. He petted her hair as she became increasingly aware, and when her gaze finally focused on him, he knew that it was time.

"Hello there number three," he whispered softly in the twilight. "I was hoping to hold on to you for a while longer, but unfortunately there's been a change of plans."

Lilah groaned and licked her lips, blinking hard.

"I know you are quite uncomfortable feeling right now," Pepe told her. "I think we should make you feel better." He stood up and turned to get the syringe when she suddenly kicked her leg out, striking him hard in the thigh. A glare filled with murderous anger crossed his features and he turned slowly back to Lilah, the syringe in one hand.

"I think you shouldn't have done that," he whispered. "I think for that I'm going to make it a little bit sweeter, make this last a little bit longer. Unfortunately, you won't enjoy it as much as I will."

He moved to her bare foot and started at her littlest toe. One drop at a time, he began making small injections. In the creases under her toes, and then later in the creases between her fingers. Lilah was groaning and panting, her mouth dribbling a bit of foamy spittle by the time he reached her ear. "Let's pierce your ears my dear," he said softly. He pulled one of her ears back, and injected only a couple of drops. He raised back up and stared his victim right in the eye. "Goodnight my dear sweet Lilah."

She groaned softly and tried to lift her hands to fight him off. He pulled her ear a bit and made the injection, the rest of the syringe slid into her veins smoothly and without hesitation. Pepe watched her eyes widen and leaned over, kissing her softly.

"H-haaaaaa…'chuu…" Lilah slurred softly with her dying breath.

Pepe watched as the light faded from her eyes and he smiled. "You weren't my pick of the litter either, Toots," he said snarkily. He walked to the window and glanced outside. The playground was empty, save one guard.

Reloading his lancet, Pepe smiled. One little guard would be handled easily enough.

TBC...


	17. Independence

_Thanks as always to my excellent beta, Gotgoats. You rock, oh great one! Love you!_

**Author's Note: **As per requested…I think we might all choke on the fluff.

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 17: Independence**

Jethro woke suddenly to a strange sound. He pushed himself up on an elbow and ran a hand over his face when he recognized the sound. Some idiot in the neighborhood was shooting off fireworks. Dropping back down on the bed, he draped an arm over his face tiredly and let out a quiet sigh. Shannon snuggled a bit closer to him, her head tucked under his armpit. She was completely exhausted and didn't hear (or didn't react to) the sound of the fireworks.

He'd almost dozed off again when another round of cracks, bangs, and pops sounded and Jethro pushed himself up in bed with a growl. Ah well, since he was awake he might as well check on the kids and hit the head. He squinted at the harsh bathroom lighting while he did his business and once done, he quickly flushed and washed his hands. Stumbling out into the blissfully dark and now quiet unfamiliar house, Jethro wandered through the one story house idly, checking things out.

The young father carefully opened the door to the room that Kelly had claimed and he frowned when he didn't see her in bed. He flipped on the light and glanced around. She wasn't there. He turned and walked to the next room—the one Tony had happily taken—and cracked the door open. Jethro felt his heart swell when he took in the sight before him.

Tony was lying flat on his back, leg propped on the pillow, just as Jethro and Shannon had carefully situated him hours earlier. One hand curled tightly around his stuffed octopus, the other was dropped listlessly next to his head. His little mouth was dropped open in relaxation and his sleep was undisturbed. Beside him, curled around his waist, was Kelly. A closer look told Jethro that his little girl was awake, her eyes bright and wide in the dark room.

"Kells? You ok Baby Girl?" Jethro kept his voice soft so he wouldn't wake Tony up.

Kelly raised her head. "I'm ok Daddy," she said, but there was a slight tremble in her voice.

"Whatcha doin' in here with Tony?" Jethro asked softly.

"I um…I heared a loud noise," Kelly said softly. "And I didn't know what it was. And I know Tony can't get up without help. I came in here cause I don't want him to be alone if he's scared."

Jethro smiled. "How long have you been awake?"

"Since 12:51," Kelly said, her tone helpful. "I woke up when I heared a loud noise. I was afraid that it was another earthquake."

"I think it was probably just fireworks," Jethro said softly. "It's almost July fourth you know."

"Fireworks is scary," Kelly said softly.

"Nah," Jethro said with a gentle smile. "It's just a loud noise." He sat down on the edge of the bed, just as another round of loud cracks and bangs sounded through the neighborhood. Tony sniffled once and rolled his head to the side, but Kelly nearly climbed Jethro, leaping from the mattress to the safety of her Daddy's lap. "Hey easy," Jethro said, rubbing a hand lightly up and down Kelly's back. "It's alright honey."

A shadow in the doorway appeared and Kelly waved shyly. "Hi Mommy," she said softly.

"Hey there baby," Shannon whispered. "What are you doing awake?" She moved farther into the room and a quick glance told her that Tony was still sleeping. She'd given him both of his medicines tonight—the muscle relaxer and the painkiller—per Ducky's orders, and the child was sleeping peacefully and soundly, and likely would remain that way until morning.

"I was scared Mommy I heared a loud noise!" Kelly exclaimed softly from her daddy's lap.

"She heard the fireworks," Jethro said, "and was worried it might be another earthquake."

"Well you know, sometimes after an earthquake like that there are other smaller earthquakes," Shannon told her gently. "But Daddy's right, it was just fireworks you heard. What made you come to Tony's room instead of ours?"

"He can't get up," Kelly said in a tiny voice. "I didn't want him to be afraid and all by his lonesome."

"What a good big sister you are," Shannon praised with a smile. "Now. Let's see about getting you back to sleep. What do ya say?"

Kelly nodded. "How about a story?" she asked.

Shannon looked to Jethro. In the chaos and confusion of getting out of the house as fast as possible, they'd neglected to bring any of their books with them.

Jethro grinned. "I don't need a book to tell you a story," he proclaimed proudly. "Once upon a time, there was a princess. Do you know what her name was?"

"Kelly," Kelly giggled.

"Her name was Kelly," Jethro said. "And Kelly lived in a beautiful kingdom…"

Fifteen minutes later, the dragon was slain, Princess Kelly had her prince, and they were riding off into the sunset with the golden goose to live happily ever after. Jethro glanced down at his family. Tony still hadn't moved and was still sound asleep. Kelly was sprawled across him, also sound asleep, and much to his amusement, Shannon was stretched across the end of Tony's bed. She too, had given in and gone to sleep. Jethro smiled at his family—the most beloved people in his world—and he yawned. Snuggling down a bit, Jethro propped his head on one hand, and a few minutes later, all four Gibbses were sound asleep in Tony's bed, without a thought given to the fireworks outside.

xxx

Shortly before sunrise, Tony's eyebrows furrowed and he sucked in a suddenly deeper breath. His chest tightened where the strained muscles from having the stairs land on him were, and he let out a soft groan.

Almost immediately, Jethro sat up and was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He'd heard a noise—a new noise this time—not the fireworks—and it had awakened him. Glancing around, he saw that Kelly was still asleep, Shannon was still asleep, and Tony…ah yes, that was the noise. Tony had shifted so that his leg was at an awkward angle, and his little face was contorted. A closer look showed that he didn't look to be in too much pain, instead, he looked almost frightened.

Recalling the period of time when Tony was experiencing night terrors, Jethro gently eased himself out from under Kelly. She snuffled once then snuggled back into her pillow and was still. He moved around the bed to where Tony was laying and he sat down beside him, taking care not to jostle his leg. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he stared up at his daddy.

"Hi Daddy," he said softly.

"Hi there kiddo," Jethro said gently, brushing some of Tony's hair back from his sweaty forehead. "You ok?"

"I hadda bad dream," Tony said softly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jethro said. "Wanna talk about it?"

Tony moved to sit up slowly, and Jethro helped him, carefully adjusting the pillow to remain in the bend of his knee for support.

"I hadda dream about my m-mean-daddy," Tony said, shivering a bit. "But I don't a member what he was doing. Just that he's was there."

Jethro nodded. "I have dreams that way sometimes. You can't remember exactly what happened, only that it was scary or happy or silly or sad." Tony nodded in agreement. "You wanna try to go back to sleep?"

Tony shook his head, one curled fist rubbing at his eye. "No…I awaked. I ok."

Jethro nodded. "Tell ya what. Today is July 4th. We are supposed to go on a picnic today, remember?"

Tony smiled and nodded. He loved picnics.

"Well why don't you and I get started putting the stuff together for the picnic?"

"I can't help," Tony said quietly, "I might mess it up. A sides, I can't stand up!"

"We'll get it all worked out so you can help," Jethro said gently, but firmly, "and just because you can't stand up is no reason for you to not help me. Come on."

Together, the two carefully maneuvered Tony into the wheelchair. Shannon and Kelly remained asleep and Tony giggled when he looked at the odd angles they were laying in. He never questioned why everyone was asleep in his bed.

xxx

"Oh Priss look what you did to yourself."

That was the first thing Senior heard when his eyes fluttered open. He'd been unconscious for a few days, unbeknownst to him, and was just reentering consciousness only to find his "roomy" standing over his bed.

"I told the guards I was so worried about you, and they like me well enough, so they told me I could come see you as long as I didn't try anything funny," Moose said with a sharky smile.

"H…Hap'ned," Senior croaked. His throat was dry. "Can…have…s'm'water?"

Moose raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Of course you can Priss. Here let me just get you a cup," he turned and poured a cup that looked very full from where Senior was laying. Turning around he grinned, full of malice, and poured the water right over Senior's lap—it looked quite a bit like he'd wet the bed.

Senior groaned, but had been snapped back to full consciousness at the contact of the cold water on his skin. "Moose," he snapped—but quickly retreated when he was met with a glare—"Sir…please…could I have some water to drink?"

"Ohhhh I didn't realize that's what you wanted," Moose said snarkily. "Here," he quickly poured another huge cup full of water. Senior moved to raise up and drink it but Moose put a firm hand on his shoulder, holding him down. "Lay still," he barked. "Just open your mouth and I'll pour it in."

It seemed odd, but Senior couldn't think of a good argument. Besides he was thirsty, and who knew how long the guards would let Moose stay. Reluctantly, Senior laid back and opened his mouth.

Moose began pouring the water in a slow but steady trickle right into Senior's mouth. But he didn't stop at just one sip—and when Senior began to sputter and try to swallow all he managed to do was get strangled. Moose smiled madly and continued pouring the water on Senior's face when Senior closed his mouth.

Hearing his coughs and sputters, one of the attendants in the infirmary came to check on Senior. "What on earth is going on here?" he asked incredulously. "Moose what are ya doing to him?"

"He said he wanted some water, Joe—and said he didn't feel like sitting up," Moose said calmly, no trace of the madness anywhere.

The attendant, whose name was Joe, turned a scornful gaze on Senior. "Well that's why you're choking then," he said. "If you'd sit up and drink it instead of expecting to be waited on hand and foot then you'd not choke." Joe sat him up and whacked him on the back a couple of times to get him to quit coughing. By then Senior was too tired to even try to argue whatever was being said around him, so he remained quiet. Then Joe noticed the wet bed and drew back. "Oh my god," he groaned mournfully. "I told 'em to put a catheter in you but ohhhh no, can't do that, he hasn't had anything to drink, he won't wet the bed," Joe said. He snatched the blankets off of Senior. "Look who wet the bed," he chided. "God you're such a disgusting pig you just make me sick," Joe said.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Senior said quietly. "It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't. I'm calling the doctor to put a catheter in your worthless dick right now. So disgusting you pigs make me sick, ewwww," Joe groused as he moved the water sodden blankets to the dirty bin.

"Come on Moose," Joe said. "Time for you to head back so pretty boy here can get cleaned up."

Moose turned around and smiled one last time at Senior, glad to have reasserted his control. "Remember who you belong to, Priss," he said, right into Senior's ear, before waving flirtatiously and following Joe out.

Senior watched incredulously as Moose accepted a pack of cigarettes from Joe and a whack on the back. "I'm telling you," Moose said, "Guy's a total sleaze. You shoulda heard about what he did to his little kid. People like that oughta be fried." Joe nodded his agreement, and their voices became low murmurs as they disappeared down the corridor.

Senior flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe, with any luck, he'd just die and escape this horrible place. Because surely, _surely_ this was worse than anything he'd ever done to Tony.

xxx

Just before lunchtime there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Shannon said to Kelly. Jethro had taken Tony and gone to the office to work on the list if information that Agent Hetty needed from him for the case. When they returned (any minute now) the whole family was going to pile into the car and head out for a picnic. Kelly was nearly vibrating with excitement. Gone was the fear from last night, and in its place was an impossible-to-suppress effervescence that was contagious to everyone around her.

Shannon opened the door and smiled. There was her beautiful son—her precious baby boy—sitting in his wheelchair, snaggle-toothed smile beaming up at her, and in his hands was an impossibly large bouquet of flowers—so big he could barely fit his fingers around it.

"Hi Mommy!" he exclaimed.

"Well hello there handsome," Shannon said with a smile. "Won't you come in?"

"You'd just invite anyone in wouldn't ya," Jethro said with a smile as he hurried to the door from the car where he'd gathered up Tony's backpack.

"Well I only invite in the cute young things, you know," Shannon said with a smile. Jethro smiled back and started inside but she blocked him with a cheeky grin. "I said the cute _young _things, Gunny," she said, leaning forward and speaking directly into his ear, her voice a soft purr.

"Are _you_ calling _me _old, Mrs. Gibbs?" he asked, astonishment in his tone. "Because I will _show_ you old!" he grabbed her and began tickling her around her middle. Shannon shrieked and laughed as Jethro picked his wife up—still tickling her—and hauled her into the house. Setting her down he smiled with satisfaction—and tried to get his mind out of the gutter as he thought of all the things he'd love to do to this beautiful woman in front of him—and turned back to the little boy in the wheelchair.

Tony's eyes were wide and shiny, and there was a hint of a smile on his face. "Ok Tony?" his daddy asked him as he pushed the wheelchair inside. Jethro ruffled Tony's hair affectionately.

"I good," Tony said. "You and Mommy is silly!"

"Yes," Jethro said matter-of-factly, "Yes we are. You are absolutely right."

Shannon took the flowers from her boy and put them in a jar with water. "These are so pretty! I just love them!"

"We got them for you!" Tony said with a shy smile. "I helped to pick them out, but they was Daddy's idea."

Jethro knew Shannon loved loved loved fresh flowers.

"Well I think they are absolutely perfect, and will look just glorious right here on the window sill, don't you?"

Tony nodded his agreement.

"Are we about ready to head out?" Jethro asked.

"I think so," Shannon said, drying her hands on a towel. "We just need to load the car." She picked up the picnic basket she'd filled with yummy goodies, and then set it back down when there was another knock on the door. "Who could that be?" she wondered out loud as Jethro moved to answer it.

"Let's find out," Jethro said with a wink to Tony who looked suddenly apprehensive. Kelly hovered close to Tony, wondering who knew they were at this different house.

"HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!" Came a loud exclamation from the doorway that caused both Kelly and Tony to shrink backwards in fear. They each relaxed when Mike Franks stepped through the door, his arms heavy laden with something…Tony didn't quite know what it was.

"What is that Agent Mike?" Tony wanted to know, his eyes widening at the sight of the huge green…thing that Mike was holding.

"This," Mike said dramatically, placing the watermelon on the counter, "is the very essence of summertime. One bite of it—no matter what time of year—will automatically transport the eater to their favorite sunny memory. BUT! The only way this works is if you wait until the fourth of July or later to cut into the watermelon. Cut into it before that and it won't be ready. But today…today is the perfect day for a watermelon slice!"

"So we's can eat it any times and get a minded of when it was summers, but we only are apposed a eat it after July force? A summer is halfways gone by then!" Tony seemed genuinely confused and perplexed by the contradictory information given to him by the Senior Field Agent.

"Uh," Mike said, "yeah. Yeah that's right." He nodded firmly.

Tony nodded slowly but didn't look convinced. "I do not think I get it," he said softly.

Jethro leaned down and whispered conspiratorially in his ear. "Me either," he said.

xxx

A few minutes after Mike arrived, Hetty arrived. She was just clucking with praise for Jethro for his thoroughness and organization in the information he provided her with.

"If I could get my agents," she shot a pointed look at Mike, "to be so organized my job would be ten times easier!" she exclaimed.

There didn't seem to be any specific reason why the agents had showed up at the safe house where the Gibbses were staying, but they settled in and didn't appear to be in any rush to leave. Jethro and Shannon shot curious glances at each other, both unsure of what to do, how to broach the subject of them all leaving for the day, when Hetty spotted the picnic basket.

"My dears," Hetty said. "Are we holding you all up?"

"Oh," Shannon said uncomfortably, "it's alright we were just—"

"YES!" Kelly exclaimed. "We're going on a picnic!"

"Kelly Elizabeth Gibbs!" her mother admonished. "Manners!"

"Sorry," Kelly grumbled. "I just am excited about going. So is Tony!"

"Agent Hetty?" Tony's voice was soft amidst the commotion.

"Yes dear?" she said, moving closer to be able to hear him better.

"Will you and Agent Mike come with us on a picnic?"

The female agent turned to the young parents who both nodded their welcoming assent. "You are welcome to join us," Shannon said. "We have plenty of everything."

Hetty looked at Mike. They had neither one expected to see the other at this house, but now… "Well it _is_ the fourth of July Mike," Hetty said. "I think we could sneak away for an hour or so don't you?"

Mike looked at his boss in shock. Hetty was the one always pushing everyone, keeping their nose to the grindstones, keeping them busy, urging them to go faster and work harder _and_ smarter. And she wanted to…Mike grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me. You're the boss!"

Sometime later, Tony was sitting on the ground—a welcomed respite from the cumbersome wheelchair, and his leg was stretched out in front of him. His other leg was tucked up close, his knee near his chin. He was leaned against a fairly large tree; Jethro told him when he helped him prop against it that it was a bigleaf maple. Tony wondered if that was the tree's real name, or if Jethro was making it up. Although it did have big leaves. Mike and Jethro were enjoying a beer down by the creek a few feet away, and Shannon and Kelly were trying to work up their nerve to wade in. Tony was tired—the excitement of the past few days was taking its toll on him, and he was glad to be alone for a few minutes, and to have a few minutes to just take everything in.

Tony smiled when Agent Hetty walked up to him. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Tony shook his head. "I do not mind," he said softly. He shifted a tiny bit when the agent sat down beside him. Once she was settled, he took a deep breath. He had a question; one that had been hounding his brain all day, and he wanted an answer to it. "Agent Hetty?" he asked.

"Yes Tony?"

"Why's we celebrate July force?"

Hetty smiled at the mispronunciation. "Well, July fourth is a very important day in our country's history. Some people call it America's birthday."

"So's that mean we are having a birthday party?"

"Sort of. Lots of people celebrate today. It's the day we signed our Declaration of Independence. We became a country of our very own on this day, many years ago."

"Oh," Tony said softly. "What's Innapendance mean?"

Hetty smiled at him and put a gentle arm around his shoulder. "That means we are free—we survive on our own, we can support ourselves and take care of ourselves. It means we are in control of ourselves and others can't control us or what we do."

Tony thought about the things he was free of now, that he hadn't ever been free of before. He was free from his father. From his box. From the mean housekeeper who got him in trouble. But he still had people who told him what to do. The doctors told him he couldn't walk yet, and Daddy told him sometimes that he had to go to bed, and Shannon always made him eat his salad ("at least five bites, Tony!") and his broccoli ("You only have to eat the tree parts, but eat all of your trees!"). Did that mean he wasn't independent? Did that mean he was controlled?

"Agent Hetty?"

"Yes Tony?" She could easily see that Tony was trying to work something out. His brain was trying to make some sort of connection and she wanted to give him the time and space he needed to do that.

"Am…am I innapendant?"

"Well…What do you think?" Hetty asked him gently, trying to guide his line of thinking.

"I think…I think I's kinda innapendant?" he said softly, his voice taking on a questioning tone.

"Ok…tell me more about that," she said.

"Well…I mean…used to…when I was living with my mean-daddy…I was not innapendant then. My mean-daddy he put me in my box whenever I got into trouble or got in the way or if he did not want to see me or look at me or talk to me or deal with me. I did not have a choice if I went in the box, and I did not get to play or talk to people or sometimes eat."

Hetty swallowed hard. She'd read it all in the reports, but holy shit it was much more difficult to hear it in person. "Go on," she said softly.

"But nows…Nows I live with my new mommy and daddy. And they's nicer to me than anybody ever has been nice to me a fore! I think I kinda am innapendant now."

"You do?"

Tony nodded. "I get to choose my clothes and what food I want to eat for breakfast. I get to eat every day—sometimes I eat so much it makes my tummy hurt! It feels like it gonna a splode!" he broke off into a fit of giggles and Hetty couldn't help but chuckle with him, though her heart tugged at the thought of this child starving. "And I have toys and I get to play and I'm going to go to school inna fall…peoples still tells me a do stuff…sometimes Mommy makes me eat all my trees and five bites of salad, and sometimes Daddy makes me get inna bed or go take a bath, and a doctors tol' me I can not walk yet because it not safe for my leg. They's all still telling me a do stuff, but I feel good when they do it. It makes me happy when they say things a cause I know it means they want me a be ok and healthy."

"That's very true Tony. So your new parents give you a little bit of independence—to teach you how to make those choices in life you'll have to make, and they give you a little bit of freedom to express your personality, but they also make sure you are staying clean and healthy and well fed. It sounds like a nice balance."

"Agent Hetty?"

"Yes dear?"

"Sometimes…" his voice dropped very low. "Sometimes I still miss my mean-daddy. But only a little bit. I miss things about him a cause they's remind me of a long times ago."

"What sort of things do you miss about him?"

"I miss the way he would smile when Mommy would come home. His eyes got all bright and shiny and he showed all of his teeth. And Mommy would always run to him and they would get all smoochy with each other," Tony made a face, shivered a little and then giggled. He grew serious again. "I miss a way he was always so smart. He knowed lots of things about being a Nozzo and about being a grown up. 'Stand up Anthony,'" Tony said in a frightening rendition of an older man's voice, "'Put your napkin in your lap. A Nozzos do not cry. A Nozzos do not pass out. A Nozzos never ask for help. A Nozzos never lower theyselves a be with peoples whose are lesser than they is. A Nozzo children are never seen and never hearded,'" the child recited the rules softly. "I's always knowed what I's apposed a be doin' whenever my mean-daddy was there," Tony said. "I's always screweded it up—but that's a cause I was a fuck-up. Daddy says I's not a fuck-up, I's a smart boy, and a good boy, and a Gibbs boy now, not a Nozzo boy."

Tony looked at Hetty. "D'you think Daddy would be mad if he knowed I sometimes miss my mean-daddy? I's do not wanna go lives with him. I like living with my Mommy and Daddy here," the child quickly clarified. "But I's wondering if he sometimes maybe thinks about me…if he sometimes maybe misses me?"

Hetty put her arm around Little Tony's shoulders when his bottom lip began to quiver ever so slightly.

"He'd be a fool not to miss you," Hetty said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

Jethro glanced over at them from where he was sitting a few feet away. He'd heard the entire conversation. He shook his head slightly to indicate that he wasn't going to approach the conversation right now, and Hetty nodded once in acknowledgement.

It wasn't long before Tony, with his full belly, pain killers, and warm, breezy summer day, fell asleep. Hetty eased him down gently, so he rested his head on her leg. Jethro came over when he saw his youngest asleep in the agent's lap, and he helped him shift so he'd be more comfortable.

"Do you mind?" Jethro asked, indicating the sleeping child with his head.

Hetty smiled and ran a hand over Tony's hair. "I don't mind. I never had children of my own. This little boy is quite the charmer isn't he?"

Jethro smiled. "He is that. I worry about him sometimes…"

"Now Gunny you do understand that it is normal for Tony to miss his biological parents?"

"I understand. And I don't blame him for that—but…he keeps it to himself so much. He very rarely talks about it, and he's always afraid he's going to hurt someone's feelings if he does talk about it. We need to figure out a way for him to work through that and know he can come to us about it and talk to us about how he's feeling without worrying about us getting angry with him."

"With the cycle of abuse this little one's been through, you might have a difficult time of that," Hetty observed quietly.

"I know," Jethro said. He flopped down on the ground next to Hetty, and close to Tony. "I just love him so much. We all do. We want him to be happy—and I really want him to be unafraid of being himself. I still get the feeling that he is working really hard to be perfect all the time. Do you know in a year I have not had to scold him even once? That his behavior has been so completely impeccable that I have not even had to raise an eyebrow at him?"

"That's…astonishing," Hetty breathed.

"It's disturbing is what it is," Jethro retorted. "He's six years old! He should be getting into all sorts of mischief! But he absolutely isn't! And it's strange!"

Hetty burst out laughing.

Jethro frowned a bit. "What? Why are you laughing?"

It took Hetty a moment to quit laughing, the thought having struck her as so comical she could not regain her control. Finally she took a shuddering breath and stopped laughing. She forced a sober expression onto her face and looked at the young father.

"Gunny, in all my years of talking to people, meeting parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, on and on I have never, not once, in my entire life, _ever _heard from a parent that they wished their child would misbehave."

Jethro stared at her for a minute, before, reluctantly, _against his will dammit_, a smile began to tug its way across the Gunny's face. It wasn't long before both of them were laughing, absolutely amused by this perfect little angel who seemed to have fallen from the sky and landed in Jethro and Shannon's lap.

"You know what they say, Gunny," Hetty said when she finally regained control of herself once more.

"What's that?" Jethro asked, sucking in deep breaths, trying to catch his breath after laughing so hard for so long.

Hetty smiled cheekily. "Be careful what you wish for!"

TBC…


	18. Mistakes Made

_Thanks as always to my wonderful beta, Gotgoats, for all your help with this chapter._

_**Author's Note: Hold onto your hats folks…things are about to start heating up!**_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 18: Mistakes Made**

Everyone was enjoying the afternoon; they hadn't been there very long though, when Hetty's cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID she shot a look to Franks who immediately poured the remnants of his beer out.

"Agent Lange," Hetty snapped into the phone, putting a gentle hand on Tony's hair and smoothing it lightly when the sleeping boy stirred a bit. "What do you mean he's dead! What the hell happened!" She listened for a moment, ignoring the concerned stares of everyone around her. "Franks and I are on it, we're heading that way." She listened for another moment and then sighed. "Oh dear," she said softly. "Call Ducky. Have him meet us there." She closed her phone without another word to the caller. "My dears," she said regretfully. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our party a bit short. Franks and I have to go."

Shannon hauled Kelly out of the creek. "Is everything alright?" she asked breathlessly.

Jethro helped shift Tony onto his own lap so that Hetty could get up. Franks held out his hand to the much smaller woman. Hetty stood up on her own power and then motioned for Franks to bend down. When he did she offered him a light headslap. "I'm not some old lady," she retorted. "Wait til I'm old to start acting like that."

Franks raised an eyebrow and smirked at Kelly with a wink. "Coulda fooled me," he snarked playfully.

The headslap was much harder the second time. Kelly giggled.

"Did something happen?" Jethro wanted to know. He'd inserted himself in the spot where Hetty had been sitting.

Hetty glanced at the young parents grimly. "Two more bodies have been found. One buried in the sandbox…the other…the other was the Military Police Officer assigned to guard the playground. Witnesses can't determine the cause of death in either body—which means our serial killer has struck again. We're still waiting on that labwork to get back so we'll have some idea of how this bastard is killing these poor people. They're dying and there's not a mark on them."

Shannon gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Kelly looked back and forth between the grownups surrounding her, her little eyebrows furrowed, trying to understand. Mike ran a hand over his face and cursed softly.

"Agent Franks we need to get going. Gunny if I need more information on your unit may I call you?"

"By all means," Jethro said. "I want this sonofabitch found and I want them punished."

"Jethro," Shannon said softly, "Language baby," she pleaded, shooting a glance at Kelly and Tony.

"There is no other word to describe this person honey," he said firmly.

"I agree," Shannon said, "but we have to think of the kids. We have to."

"Ok," Jethro relented. He looked at Kelly, who was looking a bit shocked and still confused about the whole situation. "Kelly, princess, you remember Mommy and Daddy told you about the mean person?"

"The one who keeps killing people for playing in the sandbox?" Kelly asked softly.

"Oh honey, they aren't doing it because they are playing in the sandbox," Jethro said softly.

"If they aren't doing it cause people are playing in the sandbox then why's the mean person hurting people?"

Jethro looked at Shannon and Hetty, knowing he needed help. Hetty stepped forward. "This person is sick honey. They aren't well. We need to find them so we can stop them from hurting people and get them the help they need." _A nice seatbelt in an electric chair, perhaps,_ Hetty thought to herself.

xxx

Hetty arrived at the crime scene with Mike in tow about the same time Ducky did. The guard lay sprawled on the ground, face pale, lips pale, too still to be alive. Hetty looked sadly down upon the officer. "I'm so sorry young man," she whispered.

She walked over to the sandbox. A quick glance showed her another young girl lying sprawled on the ground. A closer look, however, showed that this girl looked different from the others. Where the others had been dressed nicely, well put together, and carefully groomed, this girl looked…quite the opposite. She was wearing ratty clothing, her hair hadn't been fixed before it was messed up, and her eyes seemed puffy. It was almost as though she looked like she'd been crying.

"Do we have an ID on the girl?" Hetty called.

"Still checking," the MP called back.

"Well check faster," Hetty retorted. "I need this information last night!"

Hetty turned and walked back to the young man on the ground. She knelt down beside the MP. She examined him a bit closer, glancing up as Ducky approached. "This one struggled," she observed. She looked closely as a bruise forming under the young man's jaw, before lifting his hand to examine the bruised and scratched knuckles. "Wait a minute," Hetty said. She glanced at her watch. "It's well past two in the afternoon…" she raised up, "What time were these people found?" she called.

"Dispatch sent another MP to check the guard at 0600 when he did not check in," another MP called. "We came out here to the playground and…well that's when we found them."

"Why the hell was just _now _notified?" Hetty screeched. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE?"

"Y-You. You are. Ma'am," the MP stuttered. "L-Let me…I'll just…I'm finding out what the hold up was. Right now. Ma'am."

"Don't call me ma'am," Hetty snapped.

"They were found over eight hours ago," Ducky observed. He knelt down and lifted the young MP's other hand. "Rigor should have set in by now…" he felt for a pulse. After a moment he frowned. He set the young man's hand down and knelt lower, leaning his face over the young man's. "Dear God," he breathed. He looked up at Hetty and reached for his medical bag. He pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the young man's chest for a moment. "CALL AN AMBULANCE!" he roared. "THIS MAN IS ALIVE!"

xxx

Shannon was fastening Tony's car seatbelt around his sleeping body while Jethro hauled the cooler back to the car when his phone rang in his pocket.

"Dammit," he grumbled, setting down the cooler. He pulled the phone out and looked at the ID. "Yeah, Gibbs," he answered, after flipping the phone open.

"_Gunny?"_ The tearful voice on the other end struck Jethro and he stopped.

"Gabby?" He'd started calling her that when she'd started babysitting Kelly two years ago. The Gibbses had really opened their home and life up to her a bit when she'd first had Jacob. She'd never been around a baby much before…needed some guidance. Once Jacob had gotten bigger, she'd quit coming so often, and now that the Gibbses had Tony they very rarely—if ever—went out and needed a babysitter.

"_Gunny I…I need your help,"_ Gabby breathed into the phone.

"Are you alright? Is Jacob alright?" Jethro heard her start to cry.

"_I…I don't know,"_ she said softly. _"I don't know the answer to any of it. I just…I saw something…something bad…Gunny I need help…I'm scared."_

"Ok, ok Gabby slow down and tell me what you saw," Gibbs said gently into the phone.

Shannon looked up, concern on her face. Jethro shook his head—he didn't know anything yet.

"_I um. I'm afraid to talk about it. On the phone. I don't know. Oh god what if he tapped my phone? What if he's following me? Gunny I don't know what to do! Oh god what if he hurts my baby?"_ she broke off into tears again.

"Gabby?" no answer this time. "Gabby!" still no answer. "LANCE CORPORAL OLIVER!"

"_Sir,"_ she fired off automatically.

"Where are you?"

"_I'm um. Sitting in the parking lot at the MCX. I've been up all night, just driving around. I don't want to go home in case I'm being followed. I called my babysitter…she said she'd take Jacob back to her house where he'd be safe…oh G-god,"_ Gabby choked off. _"Oh fuck. Er. Sorry Gunny."_

"It's ok. You sit tight ok? I'm coming and we'll figure this out. You just relax."

"_I can't relax…can't relax…have to be ready to run. Hurry Gunny,"_ Gabby whispered. _"Please hurry."_

xxx

Gibbs threw the cooler in the trunk and hopped behind the wheel of the SUV. Shannon had the car going—had started it the instant she'd heard Jethro curse softly on the phone.

"Daddy where are we going?" Kelly wanted to know when her daddy didn't point the car back towards the safe house. The kid had an incredible sense of direction—it never failed to astonish Jethro and Shannon.

"We've gotta make a quick stop kiddo," he said, checking his mirrors and merging lanes. "Shouldn't take us long."

"What are we gonna do?"

Jethro pulled into the MCX. "Stay here," he said softly, hopping out of the car.

Kelly watched as her daddy walked across the parking lot to a dark green car. The window at the driver's door rolled down and Kelly gasped. "That's Gabby Mommy!"

"Yes it is Sweetie," Shannon said. "Sit still ok?"

Kelly was squirming under the seat belt. "But Mommy I wanna go see Gabby! Please Mommy!"

"Daddy told us to stay here," Shannon said firmly. "You need to do what he says."

Kelly let out a whine. "But Mommy," she said pitifully. "It's _Gabby_!"

"Yes. It is. And you will sit still until your father tells you that you can move. We clear?" Shannon's voice took on a tone of steel—daring her daughter to cross her. She didn't know what was going on, but it was clear by the distraught look on the young girl's face that all was not well.

"Yes ma'am," Kelly grumbled.

A moment later, Kelly squealed when Gabby got out of the car. She picked up her purse and walked to the trunk where she got a go-bag out. Kelly watched her Daddy wrap a gentle arm around her shoulders as he guided her back to the car.

"Is she coming with us Mommy?" Kelly wanted to know.

Jethro opened the back door. "Let's scoot you over Kelly-bug," her daddy said, unfastening her seatbelt and moving her booster seat to the middle seat. "Gabby's going to come with us."

"Guess that answers your question," Shannon said with a wink. "Gabby, you ok honey?"

Gabby looked tired and sick. Her face was pale, her makeup was smeared, her hair was a mess, and she was obviously still in last night's clothes—she looked awful. "N-not really," she whispered. "I'm sorry to ruin your day like this…"

"You haven't ruined anything honey," Shannon assured her. "We'll get it all sorted out. You're safe with us, ok? You know that."

Gabby leaned her head over her lap and wrapped her arms around the back of her neck. "I don't know anything anymore," she moaned.

xxx

Tony lifted his head slowly. Where was he? What had happened? The last thing he remembered was sitting on the ground talking to Hetty. Now he was…in the car…and it smelled funny. It didn't smell like the pink, spritzy stuff Mommy sometimes sprayed on her…and it didn't smell like the green, Daddy-smelling stuff that Daddy rubbed into his face after he scraped all the cream off of it…he blinked several times.

"Tony's wakin' up!" Kelly sing-songed.

Tony squinted a bit as he looked around him. He felt his tummy relax a bit when he realized he was with Shannon and Jethro in their car…who was the lady in the backseat with them? She looked familiar…

"Tony look! Gabby's coming to play with us!" Kelly chirped, right in his ear.

Tony groaned. His head was hurting. Maybe that's why everything seemed so mixed up. He lifted a hand to his head and realized that his helmet had been put back on him while he was sleeping.

"Tony?" Jethro's voice. He was driving. "You ok buddy?"

Tony moved to nod his head, but broke off in a whimper when it hurt.

Shannon twisted around in her seat to look at Tony who was seated directly behind her. "Anything hurting?" she asked softly.

"Mmmh," Tony whispered. "H-heaa' hurrr…"

"Ohhhh dear that sounds like a migraine," Shannon said gently. Tony whimpered pitifully and a hand rose to his tummy. He hoped he wouldn't throw up. He didn't want to throw up. It always made his headaches so much worse.

"Hey there Decaf," Gabby said softly. She was trying desperately to pull it together—at least in front of the kids. She'd taken to calling Tony "Decaf" several months earlier. The child was just so damn laid back and mellow…

"Hey," Tony whispered. "Owww," he whimpered. His hand on his tummy tightened a bit when he felt the car starting to go faster.

"Getting us home as quickly as possible," Tony heard Jethro say softly. "Tony needs his meds and to lie down. Can't get either in the car."

Shannon nodded her head in agreement. She glanced back at Tony. "Hold on baby," she said very softly. She held out her hand. "Want to squeeze my hand? Would that help?"

Tony reached out and grabbed his mommy's hand and squeezed her hand as he squeezed his eyes shut. He grunted when the car bounced into the driveway and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Uhhh Mommy?" Kelly's voice sounded concerned. "I think Tony's gonna uppy chuck all over us!"

With the car stopped, Shannon bolted from the front seat and opened the back door. She barely got Tony unstrapped before he was leaning out of the car, retching and heaving helplessly, held up only by his mother. Jethro rounded the back of the car and grimaced. "Poor little guy," he said softly. "C'mon son," he whispered when Tony was done. Jethro lifted Tony into his arms, carefully supporting his leg. "Daddy's got you. It's alright, here we go inside."

Shannon turned to make sure Gabby had her things and didn't need any help. "Come inside honey. We'll make it right."

"But…what if…I mean if he's following me then…"

"Then your car's at the MCX," called Gibbs from inside. "Get your ass in here before he figures out you left your car."

It took a few minutes to get everyone settled. Shannon gave Gabby a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to put on—she was still wearing the dress she'd worn the night before. Gabby was in the bathroom trying to pull her hair into some kind of order, and trying not to think about everything that could go wrong in her world.

Shannon and Jethro were busy tucking Tony into bed, giving him medicine, trying to help him relax so he wouldn't get sick again. He was tired and sluggish, the events of the last few days were playing havoc on his system. Shannon was surprised that they'd manage to stave off a migraine as long as they had.

"Oh Jethro," she breathed. "What are we going to do about tonight?" It was the fourth of July. And the base traditionally held a huge fireworks display just after dark. "The sounds…it'll be excruciating for him."

"Let's do exactly what we did last night. He slept through the fireworks then," Jethro said. "We'll give him all of his medicine again tonight, and hopefully it will be enough to at least keep the pain at bay. Maybe we'll find something to cover his ears with too. If you've got him, I need to go talk to Gabby and figure out what the hell's going on."

"Yes, go," Shannon said with a tilt of her head. "If I need you I'll call you."

Gibbs nodded and turned, heading for the dining room where he'd instructed Gabby to meet him when she was finished getting herself cleaned up. He didn't know what was going on with her. Poor kid had a lousy childhood, her parents weren't particularly supportive of her joining the military…she was always seeming to find herself in bad relationships, bouncing from one beau to the next…Gibbs sighed. Basically his little LC was a train wreck.

When she entered the room, Jethro was surprised at how young she looked. She'd taken a shower and washed off all of her makeup and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Wearing shorts and a t-shirt that were just slightly too big for her made her seem even smaller than she was. Fear filled her entire expression and it inspired every protective instinct Jethro had.

"Come sit down kiddo," he said gently. Everyone knew he was a badass gunny. Everyone did not know that there was a reason that not too many of his people ever asked to be moved out of his unit. He was a hardass, but he gave a damn. Not all of the gunnies did. Gibbs treated his unit as extended members of his family—they all knew what was expected of them. He inspired them to be better than they were, and to work together as a unit that was more than the sum of its parts. His people respected him, did as they were told, and very rarely stepped off the line.

Gabriella sat down across the table from her CO and folded her hands. She stared at them, unable to make eye contact.

"Tell me what happened." The words were gentle but firm—there was no escaping this.

"I…" Gabby sighed. "I saw something," she said softly.

"You told me that," Jethro said patiently. "And you told me it could get some people in a lot of trouble and because of that you are concerned for your safety."

Gabby nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

Jethro leaned over the table slightly and stared hard at the young woman before him. She'd been a tough nut to crack, stubborn as a mule, but he knew from experience that it was a defense mechanism. It was the image the world had taught her to portray.

"Talk." He said.

Gabby took a deep breath. "I um…I've been seeing someone," she said softly. "In our unit."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. It wasn't against protocol; he just…preferred to avoid the drama when possible. "Go on," he encouraged gently.

"I've been seeing Pepe," she said. "And last night…after the earthquake…I went to his house." Jethro didn't respond, so Gabby continued. "Well…when I got there…it was really quiet in the house. Almost like no one was there. So I went looking for him. He'd told me to come at that time, so I figured he had to be there. Anyways, he wasn't downstairs any, so I went looking for him in the bedrooms. He had his bedroom all fixed up…it was…" she sighed happily, momentarily caught up in her romance, "it was going to be so perfect," her voice dropped to a whisper.

"What happened then?"

"I went to the next bedroom because he wasn't in his room and he was…he had this box…and it was…about this big," she indicated with her hands, "and…Gunny it was filled with little glass bottles—the type you'd stick a needle down into."

Gibbs' eyes widened. Pepe'd been acting a bit weird lately—enough to catch his attention; but with everything going on at home, and then him being sent on leave, he really hadn't given it a lot of thought. "Were they drugs," he asked softly, his voice tinged with darkness and anger.

Gabby shrunk back a bit. "I think so," she whispered.

"You _think _so?" Gibbs growled.

"I didn't get close enough to see them really good. He turned around and saw me…oh Gunny he was so angry! I thought he was going to kill me!"

"So how'd you get away?" he gave her a quick once over. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

"Grabbed my arm," Gabby admitted softly, pulling her sleeve up to reveal an angry purple bruise. "I cancelled on him. I had to get out of there. But I…I told him I'd come back."

"When?"

"Tonight," Gabby whispered. "Then he let me leave."

"When you got to me you were still in last night's clothes. Where'd you go when you left Pepe's?"

"I went to the MPs office," she said. Jethro's eyes narrowed as he watched the young woman's face morph from fear into anger. "Sonofabitch," she muttered.

Jethro narrowed his forehead a bit. "What happened at the MPs office Gabby?" he asked softly, his gut churning.

"They wouldn't listen," she bit out. "Told me no one could do anything about anybody having medicines in their home." She looked up at Gibbs. "It was _not _medicine. It was drugs. I'd swear on Jacob's life that it was drugs. And he had…he had a lot. Like he's going to sell it or something."

Jethro nodded. He believed what Gabby was saying. "Well if they won't listen to you, then I guess we're going to go back down there and they will damn well listen to me," he snapped.

"I need to get Jacob," Gabby whispered. "I need him with me. Gunny we have to go get him!"

Jethro nodded. "Alright. Let me tell Shannon what's going on and we'll do it. We'll get your car too."

"He knows my car," Gabby said. "He'll follow me."

Jethro pulled a ball cap onto his head. "Well that's easy enough to fix. I'll drive your car. You can drive mine. We'll park your car somewhere safe where no one will mess with it." He put his hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be alright Gabby. I will keep you safe. I promise."

"You can't make promises like that Gunny," Gabby said softly. "But thank you for believing me."

"Pepe doesn't scare me Gabby," Jethro said firmly. "We'll handle it. I'll deal with him."

"N-no…no you can't…Gunny you didn't see the look in his eyes—he's crazy! And you've got a family! You have to take care of them! You have to protect them! Don't worry about me!"

Jethro gave her shoulders a firm shake. "I will protect all of you. But you have to trust me," he said. "Can you do that?"

She gave him a shaky, tearful nod. Jethro nodded. "Let me tell Shannon we're leaving. We'll handle this. I've got your six."

Gabby watched as her CO disappeared into another room in the house. "I sure hope you're right," she whispered.

TBC…


	19. Angry

_Thanks as always to Gotgoats, and to my real-life-in-person friend who helped me with the legal end of this chapter. You guys rock!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 19: Angry**

Shannon didn't like it, but she knew that Jethro needed to go with Gabby. Gabby needed her son with her—where the _hell_ were they going to put a baby?—and they needed the police to get involved so they could get the whole thing solved.

Jethro and Gabby hadn't even gotten out of the driveway when Tony sat straight up in bed. They'd taken his helmet off when they'd tucked him in, making sure he was surrounded by soft fluffy pillows, but now he was sitting up straight, one hand on his head, one on his stomach and he was whimpering. Thinking he was having a nightmare (or God forbid it—a night terror) Shannon moved almost silently to Tony's bedroom.

"Hi Sweetheart," she said softly. "How you feeling?"

"I…don' feel s'good," Tony whimpered pitifully. He heaved once and Shannon stuck the garbage can under his face in just the nick of time to catch it when he threw up violently. She sat beside him, holding the bucket close to his face, rubbing her fingers lightly through his hair, scratching his scalp gently with her fingernails, alternating between his head and rubbing his shoulders. Finally the horrible retching stopped and Tony took several shuddering deep breaths.

"Ok now?" Shannon asked softly. She handed him a cup of water. "Rinse and spit," she instructed.

Tony spit out the water and shuddered slightly. "My head hurting," he said softly.

"I know baby," she said quietly. "Anything I can do?"

Tony shook his head. "Where Daddy?"

Shannon took a deep breath, knowing she had to answer carefully, but truthfully. "He went to go help Gabby with some errands," she said softly.

Tony looked up at her. "He gonna go find the person who scared her?"

"I don't think so," Shannon said, amazed by the child's perception. "I think they were going to go tell the police officers what happened." Shannon hadn't been sure Tony was really aware of any of the conversations that had taken place since he'd fallen asleep, but once again he was surprising her.

"Why not call up Agent Hetty?" Tony wanted to know.

"I think he's going to try to use the regular military police first," Shannon said gently. It concerned her a small bit how much her child had gotten attached to the short statured investigator. She feared it would only lead to more sadness and grief for her youngest when the case was closed and Hetty went back to LA.

Tony didn't like it, but he agreed that the police needed to know what was going on. He especially didn't like the idea that his daddy might be going up against a bad man all by himself.

"Mommy," he said softly after a while. He'd been lying so still, and Shannon was coloring quietly with Kelly in the floor. Shannon had peeked up at him, surprised to see him awake. They'd given him all of his medicines and they weren't working—he wasn't sleeping. But he didn't seem to be in an exorbitant amount of pain either, so she didn't worry about it so much. Maybe they were working after all.

"Yes Sweetie?" Her eyebrows knit together when she saw how anxious Tony looked. "What's wrong?"

"You need a call Daddy and tell him to come back," her son told her very matter-of-factly.

"Honey he'll be home soon."

"NO MOMMY!" Tony yelled. This was uncommon behavior for him and she raised her eyebrows, unsure of whether to be concerned or angry. "You need a call Daddy right _now_ and tell him a _come_ _home_! It's a portant!"

"Do you need to tell him something?"

"No!" Tony snapped. "But it all is wrong! He got no one a watch his six!"

"He's got Gabby with him Honey. She'll watch Daddy's six for him."

"I don't like it," Tony snapped moodily, crossing his arms. "He need a come home. Why he always got a be going away?"

Shannon felt her guts tighten at her child's words and she hoped like hell that Jethro was never sent on deployment again. How would Tony handle that? How would any of them handle that?

"He's just trying to make sure everyone is safe," Shannon said softly. "It's really alright Tony."

Tony flopped back on the bed. "I don't like it Mommy," he snapped. "And you telling me it is ok—it is not ok! Daddy is not safe!"

"He's as safe as he can be Tony. We just have to trust him ok?"

Tony glared at her—really glared. She raised her eyebrows again. "Ease off on the attitude kiddo," she said gently. "Your daddy has been a marine for as long as I've known him." She thought back to that day in the bus station when they met…but quickly shook herself back to reality. "You have to trust him Tony. He'll take good care of himself. He always does."

"I DO NOT WANT A HEAR ABOUT IT!" Tony yelled. "JUST GO AWAY! ALL OF YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!" he flopped back down on to the bed and groaned when his head hurt worse.

Shannon narrowed her eyes at him a bit, wondering if it this was yet another new reaction to the pain meds. The medications, mixed together, and mixed with stress, fear, and exhaustion, could have Tony at the end of his rope. But that was still no way to speak to your mother.

"Tony I understand you don't feel good, and this has been difficult for all of us, but you don't have to be—"

"GO AWAY MOMMY! QUIT TALKING!"

Honestly Tony didn't understand why he was suddenly so angry—and with Mommy! She'd always been so kind and gentle to him. He didn't know why he felt so mad today…he couldn't keep his mean words inside though—it just felt like they needed to come out or he was going to explode.

Shannon motioned for Kelly to join her. "Come on Kelly. Tony wants to be left alone."

Kelly was staring at Tony like he'd grown another head. "Geez louise Tony did somebody put sandpaper in your bed? You're being really mean."

"GO! AWAY! GO AWAY AND SHUT UP!" Tony screamed, his hands covering his ears. Kelly stopped, surprised, and her eyes filled with tears. Why was Tony being so mean to her?

Shannon moved right up into Tony's space then. "Now you listen to me Mister," she said coolly. She was still Mommy, still nice and gentle, but Tony knew he'd better listen. "You do not _ever _speak to your sister or me in that tone again. We are your family, we love you, and we're trying to understand what's going on here, but that does _not _mean you get to be unkind to us. I know you don't feel good. So we're going to let you rest. I'll send Daddy in when he gets home so you can see he's alright, but I think you need a time out. Get some rest and I'll check back on you in a bit and see how you're feeling."

Tony offered her his best glare in response and didn't say anything. Shannon ushered Kelly out of the room and didn't even look at him again before closing the door behind her.

Tony flopped down on his bed when the door closed. For a brief moment, fear struck him—fear that almost, almost made him cry out for Shannon to come back. Would she leave him alone forever? Would she remember to bring him dinner? Would he get to eat dinner after he acted like this? Why was he so angry? And oh boy he _was _angry! A sob escaped him that turned into a loud wail—an angry, screaming wail that made Tony's throat ache. The feeling was something he could focus on though, and he wanted to see how loud he could wail and scream. He was so _mad._ He couldn't get up, he couldn't go play, he couldn't get any of his grownups to listen to him that his daddy was in danger—and now he was all alone again.

He always ended up alone, it seemed.

Tony wailed and cried, and screamed and moaned, and finally, after several very long moments, succumbed to the medications as they pulled him back to sleep once again.

xxx

Jethro rolled the SUV to a stop outside of Macy's house. "Go get Jacob," he instructed softly. "Don't tell her what's going on or where you've been. We'll inform her later if we need to. For now just get your baby."

"Ok," Gabby whispered. She opened the door and ran up the front sidewalk.

The gunny watched from the car as his young LC walked up to the door. Macy's mother answered the door and Gabby talked to her for several moments before being welcomed inside the house. Macy was the daughter of a Lieutenant and loved to babysit Jacob. Gabby paid the sixteen year old well for her services, and Macy didn't usually go out on the nights that Gabby wanted to go out so it worked out well.

While he waited, his phone began to ring. Jethro's eyebrows narrowed and he pulled it off of his belt. He frowned more when he saw who it was that was calling him.

"Hey babe," he answered. "Everything ok?"

"Jethro I hate to bother you honey; I know you're busy…but it's Tony. He…he's concerned about you. He thinks that you aren't safe and that Gabby won't be able to protect you if you need it."

"Why would I need protecting? We're picking up Jacob and going by the police department. Nothing to be worried about," Jethro said reasonably.

"I know that, and you know that, and _Kelly_ knows that. Tony doesn't believe it though."

"Is he where I can talk to him?" Gabby was coming back to the car with Jacob in tow.

"No," Shannon said softly. "He's asleep. He um…I think his meds are…affecting him again."

"Affecting him how? Is he more having night terrors?"

"No, not like that…he threw a horrible tantrum several minutes ago. I gave him a time out," Shannon said softly. "I haven't ever had to do that before."

Jethro blinked. It must be bad if Shannon gave a time out. "I thought you said he was sleeping?"

Shannon chuckled sadly. "Well…I told him to take a time out to calm down a bit. When I poked my head in to check on him again several minutes later, he was sound asleep. Poor little guy. I hated to be so firm with him, because I know he feels poorly, but Jethro he was saying horrible things to Kelly and me. Telling me to shut up and telling Kelly to quit talking—screaming at us at the top of his lungs. He wasn't himself."

"Christ," Jethro breathed softly. "Sounds like he's having a tough time of it. What do you suggest Momma?"

There was hardly any hesitation. "Honestly? I suggest we cut him off of the painkillers unless it's absolutely necessary from now until he has his surgery. He can take Tylenol or Ibuprofen if he is in pain, but I suggest we save the hard stuff for really bad pain. It's making him too angry, and Tony's not an angry kid. He probably isn't having any more fun than we are." Before Jethro could respond, Shannon continued. "I'm going to call Dr. Trexler first," she continued softly. "He should know if we're making changes to Tony's medicines, and I don't think we need to wean him off since we don't give it to him everyday anyway, but I'll double check and make sure."

"Sounds like a plan," Jethro said. "Let me know how he's doing. Gabby's getting Jacob now and then we're going to go to the police department."

"I'll try to call you before you get to the police," Shannon said. "I love you—Tony's very worried about you—enough that it's got the rest of us worried about you too. Please, please, please be careful!"

"I love you all too Shannon. And we're being careful," Jethro said. "I promise we're being careful."

"I believe you," Shannon said. "I am just passing along the message."

Gabby slid into the front seat next to Jethro and nodded that she was ready to go. "We'll talk more later," Jethro told Shannon. "Keep me posted." He hung up the phone.

xxx

Gibbs slung the car into park and killed the engine in front of the military police office. Gabby groaned and weakly moved to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Gunny," she whimpered, opening her door and leaning out, "I'm gonna—" she threw up violently onto the parking lot.

Jethro rolled his eyes and opened the back door. "C'mon big guy," he said. The gunny meticulously unstrapped little Jacob from his seat and then closed the door. "What's wrong Lance Corporal?" the girl was very pale.

"I think," she coughed, "your driving," she heaved again, "made me sick," she groaned finally.

Jethro smirked and passed her the baby. "Just a few curves," he said with a shrug. "Not sure what you're upset about."

Gabby closed the car door and heaved Jacob up onto her hip. "Keeping all four wheels on the ground would be nice," she grumbled, following him inside.

xxx

Cpl. Lewis was at the desk, just as he'd been earlier that morning when Gabby had come in. The young Lance Corporal balked and almost stopped when she saw him. Gibbs put his hand lightly on her back and urged her on forward. Before she could ask to file a report though, Gibbs started talking.

"Is this the one?" he asked Gabby. She nodded. Gibbs looked at her for a long moment then turned to Lewis. "Go get your CO," he ordered, his tone brooding no argument.

Lewis stood up. "Who are you?"

Gibbs stood a little straighter. "Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Now that introductions have been done, GO GET YOUR DAMN CO!" he roared.

Lewis paled a bit but quickly recovered and turned a snide chin up slightly. "_My _CO told me I was not to leave the desk."

"I bet he told you not to do your damn job too," Gibbs snarked. He leaned over the desk, his glare on in full force and his voice dropped until it was almost inaudible. "Your CO. Now."

This time Lewis paled and moved to go get his CO but a man rounded the corner before he could leave. "I'm Gunnery Sergeant Madison. What is going on out here?" The man was in his late thirties, and the stripes on his uniform told Gibbs that this man was, in fact, a Gunny, just like Jethro.

"My name is Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs," Jethro told the man. "I am the CO to Lance Corporal Gabriella Oliver," he indicated Gabby at his side. "She attempted to file a report this morning with your Corporal," he glanced at his name badge, "Lewis," he continued. "But Lewis refused to file a report. So now I'd like to file a report, and I'd like to give him a reprimand as well."

The gunny looked uncomfortable. He glanced at Lewis. "Any explanation, Corporal?"

Lewis swallowed hard. "I um. She wasn't making any sense, sir. She um…I misunderstood," he hedged.

"Do you remember Lance Corporal Oliver coming in this morning?"

Gabby looked at him evenly, and Lewis nodded. "I remember," he said. "Like I said—she was almost hysterical—I couldn't understand what she was even saying! Sir," he quietly added.

Before either of the gunnies could continue, the doors to the office burst open and Agent Henrietta Lange stormed in, red-faced and glaring at everyone in her path. Hetty walked right up to the desk and slammed her file down on it.

"I'm looking for the Commanding Officer of—" she checked her file, "Corporal Dan Lewis. I need some answers."

Jethro looked at Sgt. Madison and smirked. Madison rubbed a hand over his forehead. "That's me," he said wearily. "Who are you?"

"Special Agent Henrietta Lange, NCIS," she snapped, badge stuck under Madison's nose. "I wanna know why your Corporal had his head up his ass so far that he didn't bother to make the phone call to me this morning alerting me to the fact that my team had a new crime scene to work. My evidence is busted to hell and the crime scene is completely tainted! AND—ONE OF MY DEAD VICTIMS IS NOT DEAD—HE IS ALIVE—AND LAID THERE FOR OVER EIGHT HOURS WITHOUT BEING TENDED TO!"

Gunnery Sergeant Madison had the good sense to cringe. A hard nudge to Cpl Lewis had him raising a meek hand. "I-I'm Lewis," he said softly.

Hetty ignored Madison, Gibbs, and Gabby, and turned the full attention of her anger onto the young Corporal. "Did you receive notice that you needed to call NCIS this morning because we had another crime scene to investigate?"

Someone's head was going to roll for this.

Lewis was quiet for a long moment, then looked at his shoes. "Yes ma'am," he said softly.

"And what happened?"

"We uh…some of the guys um…we decided to go out for breakfast," he said softly. Madison's eyes widened and he looked incredulously at his officer.

"AND YOU COULDN'T MAKE A PHONE CALL BEFORE YOU LEFT?"

"I um…well Tomkins hadn't called in to report yet…so we figured he was just running late…so we went to breakfast while we waited on his call…we didn't know—"

"EXACTLY! YOU! DIDN'T! KNOW! Who called to check on him? Anybody? Or did you just _assume _that he was doing _nothing _like the rest of you were?"

Jethro blinked, impressed. He figured this woman was a firecracker, but he was finding that he'd completely underestimated her temper, and made a mental note to stay on her good side.

"I don't think anyone checked on him Ma'am," Lewis mumbled.

"Well let me tell you about Tomkins," Hetty sneered. Cpl Lewis seemed to shrink a bit. "Tomkins has been transported to the hospital. He laid out, in the park, by himself—do you hear that? COMPLETELY ALONE—for HOURS—until MY medical examiner realized that rigor mortis had not set in! He looked dead—so everyone just _assumed _that he was dead! NO ONE CHECKED HIM! He's now comatose, in the hospital, completely unresponsive. His family has been notified, and the doctors are concerned there may be brain damage because of the heroin in his system! So tell me, _Corporal,_" Hetty snapped, taking a step closer to him, "did you enjoy your _breakfast?"_

Gabby shot a glance at Gibbs at the mention of the heroin. Gibbs understood the look, and minutely shook his head. There'd be time for questions later. Right now, everyone needed to stay out of Hetty's way.

The shrill ringing of a cell phone drew everyone to a pause. "Shit that's mine," Jethro muttered, pulling it off of his belt. "It's Shannon, she was calling Tony's doctor." He flipped the phone open. "Hey," he said softly, stepping away from the melee at the front desk.

"Jethro?"

"Hey honey," he kept his voice quiet, so as not to disturb the other conversation. He could hear that Jacob had started to fuss, and Gabby was trying to quiet him. "What'd the doctor say?"

"Dr. Trexler's on vacation," Shannon said, and Jethro could imagine her worrying her cuticles nervously. "He won't be back for another week. I don't know what I should do about his meds?"

Jethro sighed. "Well don't give him anything else until I get back. We'll figure out a plan then. I guess. Talk more soon, I'm at the police office. Love you baby."

"Love you too," Shannon whispered. She hung up.

"Damn these doctors," Jethro muttered softly, stepping back towards the group.

Hetty, to Jethro's surprise, immediately stopped her tirade on Cpl Lewis. "What doctors?" her expression instantly softened.

"Tony's orthopedic surgeon is on vacation and we need to get in touch with him," Jethro said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

Hetty didn't hesitate, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. "Call Ducky," she said. Then she turned back to Lewis. "I'm taking you in for questioning. I'm beginning to think there's nothing wrong with you other than being a lazy, worthless ass, but I want to make sure. Probie!"

Another agent appeared at her side—Jethro had been so caught up in the conversation and the phone call that he hadn't noticed the other NCIS agent entering. The young man stepped forward and began snapping handcuffs onto Cpl Lewis.

"Am I under arrest?" Cpl Lewis stuttered.

"I haven't decided yet," Hetty answered. "I just don't want you getting into any trouble while we're on our way back to the office."

The "probie" led Lewis out of the office. Hetty turned to Madison then. "I suggest you get your boys under control," she growled. "And you're gonna want to find someone to work this front desk."

Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the building as suddenly as she'd come.

Madison ran a hand over his forehead and turned back to Gibbs and Gabby then. "Well this has been an eventful day," he murmured faintly. "Now you said you wanted to file a report?"

"Yes," Gibbs snapped. "Do you have anybody here competent enough to listen to my Marine and make the report?"

"Yes," Madison said. He picked up a pad of paper and sighed. "Me."

xxx

It wasn't long before Gabby's report was filed with the military police, and Madison assured them that he, himself, would conduct the investigation involving Pepe and the mysterious bottles that Gabby had seen in his home. Madison would begin by wanting to speak to the other members of Jethro's unit—finding out if there was any change in Pepe recently—if he was acting differently, if he'd suddenly come into new money, if he was hanging around with different people. Once they had established that there was something different about the sergeant, then Madison would begin to investigate Pepe closer—seeking out a search warrant and continuing the investigation from there.

Jethro and Gabby were both satisfied with the outcome at the police office, and Gabby thanked Madison over and over again for believing her and listening to her concerns. Madison took into consideration that Pepe did know where Gabby lived, and because they didn't know exactly what they were dealing with, instructed Gabby to go stay with a friend—somewhere that Pepe wouldn't find her if he came looking. Satisfied that they were handling the situation as well as possible, the two Marines started back to Hetty's safe house.

xxx

Tony was still sleeping when Gibbs and Gabby arrived back at the house. Gabby took Jacob and went to lie down, exhausted after the day's events and the sleepless night.

"Daddy Daddy!" Kelly exclaimed, running to meet him. "I'm so glad you're back! You need to go fuss at Tony—he was really mean to Mommy and me."

"I'm going to go check on him," Jethro said softly. He kissed Shannon. "Hey honey," his voice was soft. "Ran into Hetty at the police station. She said we should call Ducky to help Tony."

Shannon smiled and nodded. "I'll call him," she said, feeling immediately comforted by the idea, and grateful for the support from the agency. "You should go see Tony."

Jethro's smile was sad, and he nodded. "Gabby's lying down," he said. "I think she's tired. She's going to stay with us for a bit—the officer who took her report suggested she stay somewhere that Pepe won't find her."

"Pepe's the one who did this?" Shannon breathed, shocked. "Really?"

"They're opening an investigation," Jethro told her. "I'll tell you more about it later," he glanced briefly at Kelly, who had gone back to the puzzle she was working on.

"Ok," Shannon said softly. "Go see Tony."

Jethro nodded and disappeared up the hall. He quietly opened Tony's bedroom door and looked inside. He sighed at the sight he beheld…the poor kid was the portrait of misery. He was lying on the bed, twisted as much onto his side as he could without moving his still-recovering leg. His arms were crossed over his chest—a haughty stance, even in sleep—and his little eyebrows were furrowed.

The young father closed the door behind him and eased through the room. His silent steps soon moved him to his child's side, and he sat down gently on the side of the bed. Tony's leg was slightly twisted—pulling on the external fixator—and looked like it was in quite a painful position. Jethro turned Tony's leg carefully, moving it into a more natural line with the rest of his body.

The child stirred under his ministrations and he opened his eyes slowly, a confused expression on his face.

"Tony," Jethro said softly. "You with me? You awake kiddo?"

Tony blinked sluggishly and looked up at him. "Daddy? You're here?" he whispered.

"I'm here," Jethro promised. "You ok?"

The confusion disappeared and anger took its place. "No!" he suddenly snapped. "NO I AM NOT OK! WHY DID YOU GO AWAY DADDY? YOU DIDN'T HAVE NOBODY A WATCH YOUR SIX! YOU NOT A PPOSED A DO THAT!"

Jethro moved so that he was stretched out beside his littlest. "Oh Tony," he sighed. "I was safe! We went and picked up baby Jacob for Gabby, and then she and I went to the police station. We were safe—and Gabby and I were watching each others' sixes. We were safe kiddo. Promise we were safe."

"WHY YOU ALWAYS DO THAT! YOU ALWAYS GO OFF BY YOU SELF AND YOU NEVER HAS ANYBODY A WATCH YOUR SIX!"

Jethro blinked, confused. He hadn't ever gone off like Tony was describing—not to his knowledge. "Tony I don't know what you're talking about…I haven't ever—"

"YES YOU DID!" Tony screeched at the top of his lungs, the anger from earlier back in full force. "WHEN WE FOUND A DEAD LADY INNA PLAYGROUND YOU'S TOLD US A GO HOME AND YOU'S STAYED INNA PARK! NO ONE WAS WATCHING YOUR SIX! YOU WAS NOT SAFE THEN! YOU WAS NOT SAFE TODAY! GABBY IS STUPID!"

Jethro put a finger over Tony's mouth to stop his tirade. "You don't need to yell to get me to listen to you," Jethro warned. "In fact, if you're going to yell at me, that's the quickest way to get yourself another time out. I heard you weren't nice to Mommy and Kelly. Do you need another time out?"

Like Shannon, Jethro hated being firm with Tony. He'd been through such hell already in his life, but he reminded himself that he'd be doing none of them any favors by letting Tony get away with behavior such as this. To his surprise though, rather than argue with him—as his anger implied he might—the anger instantly disappeared and Tony let out a heaving, gasping sob and buried his face into Jethro's chest.

Jethro wrapped his arms around his boy and hugged him close. "Shhhh," Jethro whispered to Tony's ear. "Daddy's here. I've got you. Why are you crying kiddo?"

Tony gasped and sobbed and wrapped his little fingers into Jethro's shirt and clung tighter to him. "I…I's…I sorry Daddy," he wailed. "I…I…I dunno…I dunno why I so mad!" He cried harder.

Jethro glanced at the door and saw Shannon watching silently in the doorway. She nodded and Jethro turned back to Tony. "It's alright now," Jethro whispered. He ran his blunt fingertips through Tony's hair softly, pushing the sweaty, tear-soaked strands back. It was almost time for a haircut. "Sometimes when you take medicines like the ones that you have they make you feel yucky. Sometimes you can get really mad from your medicines. I think that's what's going on," he said softly.

Tony hiccupped and sobbed for several minutes more before he began to calm down. Jethro stayed with him, rubbing his hair lightly, hugging him close, trying to offer as much support as he could. It wasn't long before he went back to sleep again, clinging tightly to Jethro's shirt. Shannon came into the room then, and sat down on the bed beside Jethro.

_*I called Ducky.*_

Jethro blinked once. Yes.

_*He said that, given the dosage of medicines that Tony's on, and the number of medicines that he's on, that we should wean him over a couple of days just to be safe, but then he should be fine."_

Jethro blinked again and nodded slightly. Yes that would work.

_*Ducky said we could give him Tylenol and Ibuprofen together if he is in a lot of pain, but not to do that too often because it could upset his stomach.*_

Jethro blinked again.

_*What do we do about the fireworks?*_

Jethro sighed and cut his eyes down at Tony then shook his head no. Tony couldn't handle the fireworks tonight.

Shannon nodded. _*I'll see if Kelly wants to go outside and watch them. They are shooting them off from the PX aren't they?*_

Jethro blinked once. Yes.

Shannon smiled. _*We'll be able to see them from the front yard I bet. The PX is pretty much a universal spot on base—everyone should be able to see the fireworks from the house.*_

Jethro blinked once. He felt lots better about Shannon and Kelly going to the fireworks if they were only going to go out to the front yard. "Be careful," he whispered. "There's still a killer on the loose."

Shannon was quiet for a moment. "I think we'll see if we can see them from the window in the living room. If not, I'm sure there's some fireworks on TV we can watch. I don't see any reason to borrow more trouble. We need a break," she whispered.

Jethro nodded. "I like that better," he whispered. Tony stirred slightly and Jethro pressed a kiss to his forehead.

_*I'll go so he can sleep. He missed you this afternoon. I'm sure he feels much better now that you're home.*_

"He got pretty angry at me too," Jethro whispered. "It's gotta be the meds. Only thing I can figure."

Shannon nodded. She leaned over and kissed Little Tony's temple, and Jethro's forehead. "I love you," she whispered softly.

Jethro smiled and blinked. Yes. "I love you too," he whispered.

A moment later the door clicked and Jethro knew they were alone again. He stayed where he was, snuggled up with Tony, who was finally resting, and just enjoyed the peaceful moment. It wasn't long before he heard the fireworks being popping and booming outside. He heard Kelly's quiet "oooh Mommy look," and he heard Shannon's murmuring response, so he knew his girls were locked up inside the house and safe. Tony shifted slightly and snuggled in even closer to Jethro, holding his shirt even tighter.

Tonight they were all safe.

TBC...


	20. A Possible Suspect

_Thanks to my wonderful beta, Gotgoats who has been ever-faithful and encouraging me through my writer's block with this chapter. You are amazing!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 20: A Possible Suspect**

A soft knock on the door woke Jethro the next morning. "Good morning, Sleepyhead," Shannon murmured softly, stepping inside the room where Jethro had slept the whole night next to Tony.

Jethro rubbed his hand over his eyes and looked blearily at the clock on the nightstand. 8:47am. God! He never slept that late!

"Your dad's on the phone," Shannon said quietly, offering him the open cell phone. "You were asleep by the time the fireworks ended last night so I just didn't wake you. Gabby was up and down all night with Jacob," Shannon continued and Jethro smiled. "Oh! The phone! Silly me! Talk to your dad," Jethro's pretty wife ducked out of the room with a sheepish smile and a light blush coloring her features.

"Hello? Dad?"

"Leroy! Why haven't you called boy! My God we've been hearing all over the news about that crazy person killing girls on your base! I've been worried sick!"

Jethro frowned. His father was not usually a worrier. "It's uh…been a busy few days," Jethro said quietly. "Hang on a minute." He slid out of bed and cast a glance at Tony who was still sleeping soundly. The young father quietly left the bedroom and closed the door behind him. "I'm back," he said. "Let me tell you about everything that's going on…"

Forty five minutes later, Jethro hung up the phone. His father was fretful and concerned because he had no one to watch the store and he felt like he needed to come out and help! But Jackson had also made a suggestion that Jethro thought could prove to be quite helpful.

Tony's surgery on his eye socket was coming up soon. Jackson was planning to come back to Camp Pendleton the week after Tony's operation to help out, but in the mean time, Jackson suggested that Kelly come for a visit. With all of the problems with having to get the house fixed, Tony having doctor appointments, and there being a crazy serial killer targeting young girls in the area, the older Gibbs thought that it might do his granddaughter some good to get away for a while. Kelly and Shannon could fly out together, and then Shannon could stay for a few days—visit her mother and Jackson for a bit—and then fly back for Tony's surgery. Kelly could stay with Jackson for a few days and then go stay a few days with JoAnne as well. The two grandparents had already made plans to travel together. They would arrive in California three days after Tony's surgery—the day before it was planned for Tony to get out of the hospital. By having Kelly with them it would eliminate the need for her to spend hours cooped up in the hospital.

Jethro told his father on the phone that he would speak to Shannon about it and let him know something soon. He was still on paternal leave and would be until the week before school started—nearly five more weeks. Tony's surgery was in two weeks, and his pre-op exams started next week. Kelly would have the opportunity to stay three weeks in Pennsylvania—if Shannon would agree to it.

Shannon was open to the idea, but wanted to ask Kelly what she wanted to do before they made any decisions. She was also worried about how they would pay for the ticket. They had some money saved, but not a ton. There was an extra mouth to feed and an extra body to clothe and the difference was showing up in the savings account. Neither parent minded, but Shannon sometimes worried. Jethro told her that Jackson and JoAnne had offered to pay for their plane tickets and Shannon nodded. She hated to accept help, but it was their idea for them to come visit after all. When they mentioned it to their daughter, to see what she wanted to do, Kelly was immediately excited. She started bouncing up and down, whooping and screaming, and a moment later, a pitiful sounding, "Daddy?" came from Tony's room.

Jethro went to his side while Shannon reminded Kelly that she needed to not scream inside when people were sleeping. It was better to use inside-voices all the time in the house, that way no one got disturbed.

"Hey Buddy," Jethro said softly. "You ok?"

"I waked up and you was gone," Tony said softly.

"I got a phone call from Grandpa this morning," Jethro told him. "So I went to talk to him for a bit. You want to sleep more?"

Tony pushed himself up slowly and shook his head.

"How's the head feeling this morning?"

Tony blinked weakly in the morning light and ran a hand over his forehead. "Ok," he said softly. "Fuzzy. Heavy." He laid back down. "I tired," he said softly.

Shannon appeared with the half doses of Tylenol and ibuprofen for him, as Ducky has recommended, and a cup of some kind of brown drink. "I know you don't like milk so much," Shannon said softly, "but milk will help your tummy not feel yucky after you take your medicines before breakfast. So I put a little bit of chocolate in the milk to make it taste yummy. Try it and see if you like it," she said, handing Tony the cup after he sat back up.

Tony took a sip and his eyes lit up. "You always make me yummy stuff Mommy," he said with a smile. Shannon smiled back and handed him a medicine cup. Tony swallowed the first one down, then the second one, and made a face. "Tast-tes yucky," he said with a shiver.

"Chase it with some chocolate milk then," Jethro said gently. Tony eagerly drank down most of the cup. "Looks like someone was thirsty," his daddy said. Tony nodded.

Shannon left the room to go see what Kelly was doing and to start breakfast and Jethro turned to Tony. "So what would you say if I told you that Mommy and Kelly were going to go on a trip, and you and me were going to stay here together and hang out?"

"Where they going?" Tony asked, his eyes round and wide, staring at his daddy.

"They're going to go see Grandpa and Grandma. And then Mommy will be back in time for you to have your surgery on your eye," Jethro said. "And you and me can stay here and have a good time together, just the two of us. Would that be ok with you?"

Tony was quiet for a minute. "I never seed Grandpa or Grand-a-ma's house a fore," Tony said softly. "Do they's not want me a come?"

"They'd love to have you come visit!" Jethro told him. "But they also know that right now you're feeling pretty yucky and so you might not be able to take such a long trip. But, I can promise you, that when you get better, and when you have a good break at school we will take you to Pennsylvania so you can see Grandpa and Grandma's houses. Would you like that?"

"They want me?"

"Of course they want you! They love you!"

"But I was bad," Tony said softly. "I yelled at ever bodies."

"Hey, we talked about that. It was from your medicines. You couldn't help it, kiddo," Jethro told him gently. "And we'll go visit them soon. And this time you and me can stay here and play and have lots of fun. And if I have to go to work you can come with me. How does that sound?"

"I can go a work with you? Really?" A smile was hinting at the corner of Tony's mouth.

"Really really," Jethro said with a smile. As if he would let the little one out of his sight.

"Ok," Tony said. "You's and me…we's a have a good time!"

Jethro hugged Tony gently, mindful of the external fixator still restricting his leg movements. "Yep, we'll have a ball, you just wait."

xxx

Cpl James Tomkins lay in his hospital bed. He was now surrounded by his wife and small daughter, her parents, his sister, and his parents were on their way. The doctors had performed an additional scan of Tomkins' brain and what they'd discovered was not good news.

The heroin in his system was found to be very pure, very lethal, and he'd received a fairly large hit of it. He was currently unable to breathe on his own, had lost control of all of his bladder and bowel functions, and the doctors were carefully monitoring his kidneys and liver for signs of increasing damage.

He was a young corporal, only twenty years old, and he'd been in the military police since he'd turned eighteen. He'd lived abroad for a year in the MPs, doing work in various places, keeping guard, keeping others safe, watching for criminal and terrorist activity. There were no clues on his person as to who his attacker was, and the only mark the doctors had found on him was a very tiny mark on the back of his neck. There was no sign of struggle, no sign of foul play, and surprisingly no sign of the injection site that should be present for such a large amount of heroin, as was in his system.

However, there was no denying that heroin was indeed the cause of the young man's troubles. And a heroin this pure…it worried the doctors. This could be quite lethal, and they all murmured among themselves about watching for signs of repeated deaths from heroin overdose.

The doctors gently explained to the family members present that on the last scan of Cpl Tomkins' brain there was no sign of activity at all. There was no sign of life within him. If the machine was not breathing for him, then he would have already died. Even with the machine breathing for him, it was only a matter of time before his heart stopped—but whether that would be in five minutes or in five years, no one could say.

Julie, James' wife, wanted to know if they'd found him sooner if there would have been any chance at saving him. Possibly, they told her, but not necessarily. Because of the drugs he was given, and their potency, it was impossible to tell if he would have survived or not. Certainly lying out in the hot sun for hours before receiving medical attention had not helped him any. He was severely dehydrated when he arrived at the hospital.

Julie leaned on her mother and father and clutched her baby girl close as she cried. Her poor husband. She loved him so much, and this was all so sad—so pointless and unnecessary. What would happen to them now? Where would they go? What would they do?

The elevator dinged, and as Tomkins' parents stepped off the elevator in a rush, after flying from Denver to California on such short notice, they arrived at the room just in time to hear the monotoned beep of the heart monitor, announcing that the patient had no heartbeat.

Evelyn Tomkins stood in the doorway to her son's hospital room and watched as Julie leaned over, tears dripping off of her face onto her husband's, and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "Goodnight darling," the young woman whispered softly, before laying her head on his chest and being overwhelmed with sobs.

Evelyn looked at Russell, her husband, James' father, and let out a harsh breath, a shaky hand rising to cover her mouth. "Our baby," she breathed, and he yanked her close into a strong embrace. His mouth turned down into a firm frown and he let out a shaky breath of his own. "Our poor baby," Evelyn cried, breaking off into harsh sobs of her own.

The doctors looked at one another and shook their heads sadly. It seemed as though the serial killer on base had claimed another victim.

xxx

The Gibbs family, along with Gabby and Jacob were just sitting down for lunch when they heard a knock on the door.

"It's got to be Agent Hetty," Shannon said. "No one else knows where we are?"

Jethro nodded and got up to go answer it and smiled when he saw not only Agent Hetty, but also Dr. Ducky as well.

"Good afternoon Jethro," Ducky said, entering the house behind the federal agent. "I do hope we aren't—oh dear we are interrupting lunch. I was afraid this might happen."

"We have plenty," Shannon said. "We are having turkey sandwiches. Please join us."

"Oh no my dear, we already intruded on your picnic yesterday," Hetty said. "We have already had lunch. Ducky wanted to check on Little Tony to see how he is feeling today, and I wanted to speak with Jethro. But I can wait until everyone is finished eating."

The Gibbses nodded and Ducky and Hetty joined the others at the table. They introduced them to Gabby and Jacob and continued eating. Kelly was chattering away about her upcoming trip with Mommy to see Grandpa and Grandma, and Tony was chattering more quietly, but was rattling on about getting to stay home with Daddy and how much fun that was going to be.

Once they were finished eating, Ducky and Shannon took Tony into Tony's bedroom. Gabby took Jacob and Kelly to the backyard so they could play together, and Jethro filled a coffee cup and handed it to Hetty before refilling his own.

"What's up?" Jethro asked softly.

"We turned the keychain you found over to our forensic specialist," Hetty said. "Eamon is brilliant and can retrieve evidence seemingly out of thin air sometimes. Anyway, there I go getting distracted. We gave him the keychain and asked if he could determine the initials originally engraved into the keychain. I have cross referenced the initials Eamon gave me with the initials of the people in your unit. There are three matches."

"What are the initials?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"P-H," Hetty replied softly.

Jethro put his head in his hands. "Pacha Haywood, Pedro Hernandez, and Patrick Habisch," he said softly.

"That's right," Hetty said. "I hate to ask this, but have any one of these three people shown any signs of trouble lately? Is there any indication that one of these three people could be our suspect?"

Jethro let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure…I don't think any of them are murderers…but one of them has just yesterday became the subject of a police investigation regarding possible drug use."

Hetty's eyes widened slightly and she made a note on her little notepad. "Who was it Jethro? I know this is difficult, and it may seem like you are betraying your uni—"

"Before I tell you anything," Gibbs said. "You have to promise me to keep me and Tony safe. Shannon and Kelly are leaving California for a while—hopefully until this whole thing gets shut down. But Tony and I are staying here, and I want your guarantee that my son will be safe."

"You have my word Gunny," Hetty said quietly, seriously. "If I take a bullet for him myself, I give you my word that your child will be unharmed."

"He's been hurt so much…I just don't think he needs to have anything else like this dealt his way."

"I understand Gunny. And I agree. I will let my team know that you and Tony are to be kept safe, and Shannon and Kelly will have an undercover agent fly with them to…Pennsylvania, was it?" Jethro nodded. "We will keep them safe," she promised. "We'll keep you all safe."

"You got any way to keep my Lance Corporal safe?" he asked. "She's the one who…discovered the possible drugs at Hernandez's place."

"That lovely young lady with the small child? In the back yard?"

Gibbs nodded.

"I will take the necessary precautions for her as well. And her child. We will keep you all safe. I promise. Now tell me Gibbs. Please. Which one is it?"

"Hernandez," Gibbs said softly. "Pedro 'Pepe' Hernandez."

TBC...


	21. When The Cat's Away

**Author's Note:** I will attempt to not gag on the cuteness of the chapter hahaha :P

_Thanks as always goes to Gotgoats for giggling at me while I write and encouraging me to be devious and slightly evil at times…she also betas for me—and does a marvelous job! Love ya babe!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 21: When The Cat's Away…**

Hetty took the information on Hernandez from Gibbs, who promised to put a file together for her with information on all three of the people with the PH initials. "Shannon and Kelly are leaving probably tomorrow," Jethro told her. "If they do it might take me a day or two to get the information together because I'll have Tony with me. But I'll have it soon."

"You're fine Jethro. And if I need to go talk to your CO and get the information from him, that is certainly acceptable as well."

"Maybe talk to him too, just to make sure he knows what's going on," Jethro suggested. "Having a potential drug dealer and-or murderer in the unit is definitely cause for concern." Jethro was trying not to beat himself up over the fact that he hadn't caught onto it himself.

"Quit beating yourself up Gunny," Hetty told him, as though she was reading his mind. "You've got a lot on your plate—and you said yourself you haven't been working for several weeks now."

"You're right," Gibbs agreed.

Hetty changed the topic to something lighter while she waited for Ducky to finish up her exam with Tony. They talked about where Jethro's dad and Shannon's mom live, how Jethro and Shannon had grown up in relatively close proximity to the other but had attended different high schools and met quite by chance. Shannon was excited to be returning to the North East and Jethro was slightly jealous that she was going without him.

It wasn't long before Ducky, Shannon and Tony emerged from the bedroom, Tony chatting every inch of the way.

"Hi Buddy," Jethro said as Shannon pushed Tony up to the table so they could all sit together. "Did you have fun with Ducky?"

"Yeah," Tony said with a nod and a smile. "Dr. Ducky wanted a make sure he did not missed any…any…what's a word, Dr. Ducky?"

Ducky smiled. "Symptoms, dear boy," he replied.

"Any simple-toms from a medicines," Tony said. "He listened a my heart an' said it was ka-thumping like it apposed to, and he listened a me take deep breaths in like this—" he sucked in a huge gasp of air dramatically, "—an' he said that I sounded like I breathe real good. He said my leg looking pretty good too. I told him I am not apposed to get up on it and walk around yet though a cause it not really better yet."

"Getting there," Jethro agreed with a smile and a glance at the doctor who appeared quite amused by the report of his exam on the child. "Your physical therapist said she wants to start you standing up some this week and maybe walking a bit."

Tony's eyes were wide. "I get a walk?" his voice held a touch of wonder.

"Yeah Tony," Jethro said softly. "You're gonna be up and running around like a crazy kiddo in no time at all. Kelly won't be able to catch you."

"Kelly runs really fast," Tony said. "I do not think I will be faster than Kelly!"

"You might be surprised how fast you go once that leg is better," Hetty said with a smile. "Donald, I hate to cut the party short, but I need to take the information I've gathered back to my team at NCIS."

"I quite understand Henrietta," Ducky said, standing up.

"Dr. Ducky?"

"Yes, dear boy?"

"How's a come you call Agent Hetty 'Hen-ery-etta'?"

"That's her full name, similar to how your name is Anthony. Her friends call her Hetty for short, similar to how you are called Tony."

"But you call her Hen-ery-etta. Are you not friends with Agent Hetty?"

"Of course I am friends with her. I merely choose to call her by her long name instead."

"How's a come you wanna do that for?" Tony wanted to know. Shannon looked at Jethro, eyes wide, surprised at the interrogation coming from the little one. Jethro smiled and shrugged.

"It keeps my lips limber, dear boy," Ducky said with a twinkle in his eye. "When you get old like I am, one must speak long words in order to keep their lips limber."

"What is limber?"

"Limber means able to bend and move easily."

"How's a come you do not just do tongue tippers?"

"Tongue…tippers?" Ducky asked, looking to Jethro and Shannon for clarification on the odd term.

"You knowww," Tony said, "Like Teeny Tony's Tiny Toesies Tickle Treetops Inna Twilight," the child said proudly—and really quite fast. Jethro and Shannon burst out laughing. They'd made up the tongue twister together in order to help Tony with his stuttering problem. That, among other things, seemed to be helping, and the young parents couldn't help but chuckle at the child referencing that to help keep his lips limber as Ducky had said.

"Teeny…Tony's…Tiny…Toesies…Tickle…Treetops…In…The Twilight," Ducky said slowly, feeling it out. "That's quite amusing," he chuckled. "What a clever boy you are!"

"You apposed a say it fast," Tony said, giggling.

"I'm afraid I might not be able to say it appropriately if I were to try it faster than that," Ducky said.

"Try!" Tony pleaded. "Pleeeeease Dr. Ducky!"

Ducky sighed, knowing he'd not be able to ever deny this child anything that would bring a smile to his face. "Very well," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he began, "Teeny-Tony's-Toesies-Tickle-Tweetops-in-the…oh dear," he stopped when Tony began giggling uncontrollably. "I think I made a mess of that didn't I?" Ducky said with a smile.

"Try again!" Tony said, still giggling uncontrollably.

"No I think that is quite enough of me doing that for today. However, if you like, I will leave you one to practice until the next time I see you."

"YAY!" Tony clapped his hands. "I like tongue tippers!"

Ducky smiled. He'd stump the boy for sure with this one. "Are you ready? Here you are…" taking a deep breath Ducky began to recite his own tongue twister—one he'd learned when he was a child. "Mr. See owned a saw. And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw. Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw before Soar saw See, which made Soar sore. Had Soar seen See's saw before See sawed Soar's seesaw, See's saw would not have sawed Soar's seesaw. So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw. But it was sad to see Soar so sore just because See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw."

Tony's eyes rounded. "I think I gonna hafta practice that one some," he said softly, his voice breathy in astonishment. "Your lips is very limber Dr. Ducky."

Ducky smiled. "Thank you dear boy. Until next time."

Tony held his arms out to Ducky, who walked over to him. Tony gave him a hug around his middle and kissed him on his arm. "Thank you for coming a look at me," he said softly, truly grateful that someone outside of his family would be concerned for him.

"You're welcome child," Ducky said, ruffling Tony's hair gently. "Quite welcome dear boy."

xxx

Tony and Jethro took Shannon and Kelly to the airport. Jethro nodded silently at the plain clothed agents who were milling around behind the Gibbses, careful not to draw attention to themselves, but were consistently staying within touching distance of all four of the family members. When they arrived at the gate where they would leave the girls, Jethro stopped pushing Tony.

Tony hugged Kelly tightly from his wheelchair and then reached up for his momma. Shannon knelt beside him and wrapped him in the biggest, tightest hug that she'd ever given him and pressed kiss after kiss to his face, temple and hair.

"I gonna miss you Mommy," Tony said softly. "You's a comin back, right? You's not gonna be gone forever?"

Shannon looked at Jethro, her heart twisting. "I'll be back," she said looking at both of her boys. "Soon. Before your surgery. I'm only going to be gone a few days. And I will call you on the phone every evening before I go to bed, alright?"

Tony sniffled once then looked at his mommy and nodded. "My brave boy," Shannon murmured. Honestly she didn't know how she would ever leave him. "I want you to look," she said, clearing her throat and refusing to cry. She dug into her billfold and pulled out a picture. It was a picture from the set that the family had taken not long after Tony had come to live with them. Tony was in the picture—his face holding no scars yet, his teeth not yet falling out with age, and he was smiling broadly—the poster child of happiness. "I'm taking you with me Sweet Boy," Shannon said. "Whenever I feel sad I'll take out my picture and call you on the phone and it will be just like you are there with me ok?"

Tony nodded. "I…I want a picture of you," he whispered.

"I left you a picture of me and Kelly sitting on the counter in the kitchen," Shannon said, looking to Jethro to make sure he was getting the instruction too. "That way you will have a picture, and I will have a picture. Ok?"

Tony nodded. "I hope you have fun with Grandpa and Grand-a-ma," he said softly.

"Next time I'm bringing you and Daddy with me," Shannon promised, knowing her child was sad over not getting to go to Pennsylvania with her and Kelly.

"Promise?" Tony said softly.

Shannon nodded and brushed her the backs of her fingers over his cheek. "Promise," she said softly. One more kiss and she stood up and turned to Kelly who was having an equally sad goodbye with her Daddy.

"Ok Princess," Shannon said. "It's time for us to go get on the plane. We'll call you tonight, Jethro, and let you know we made it.

Jethro grabbed Shannon around the waist and kissed her passionately. "I love you Mrs. Gibbs," he breathed against her lips.

"I love you too Gunny," she said, looking up into his eyes. Her hands brushed over his chest for a long moment, both of them caught up in the other, when Kelly groaned.

"Moommmmmmmyyyyyy you're being yucky again!"

Jethro kissed her once more, a quick peck then whispered something in her ear that made her smile, and then turned to Tony. Kneeling beside him, the two boys waved at their girls as they hurried away to the plane.

xxx

Tony was extremely excited to have so much one on one time with his daddy. However, as they drove home, Tony began to think of all the things that Shannon usually did around the house. She always cooked their food, always made sure they had clean clothes to wear. She vacuumed the carpet and scrubbed the crayon off the bathtub walls whenever Tony decided to draw in the tub with his bathtub crayons. She'd read him stories when he was lonely, and teach him his letters while Kelly played outside. Shannon always made sure his leg and head didn't hurt…what was he going to do with Shannon gone?

Could he and Daddy live without Mommy there to make sure they were ok?

"Let's stop by our house and see how the builders are doing, Tony," Jethro suggested.

"Ok," Tony said, wondering what they might see at their house.

There were lots of trucks in the driveway. Gibbs parked the car on the street and got Tony's chair out. He helped Tony out of the car and into the wheelchair and shut the car door. "Ok kiddo?" he asked, looking Tony over.

"I ok," Tony said with a grin and two thumbs up.

They went up the ramp to the house together and Gibbs pushed the door open. "Knock knock" he called out.

Two of the contractors looked up. "Hey Sgt Gibbs!" they called out, recognizing him from working around on the base.

"Gentlemen," Gibbs said with a nod. "We were in the neighborhood, thought we'd come by and see how the house was coming along."

Gibbs quickly noted that the busted stairs and wall had been removed, and new boards were in place to replace the walls and stairs. He could hear a saw running out back and figured more boards would be coming in soon. He glanced at Tony who was taking it all in through wide eyes and a slack jaw. The house looked very different than it did the night Jethro had to boost himself up on the stairs to crawl to the second floor.

Jethro knelt beside Tony's chair. "What do ya think Tony?" he said.

Tony looked at the work that had been done, then looked at the boards that one of the other guys were bringing inside.

"Those boards won't work," Tony said softly.

"What?" Jethro said, leaning in closer to hear him better.

Tony nodded to the newly cut boards that one of the workers had just set down. "Those boards are too little," he said. "They will not work."

Jethro glanced at the boards and narrowed his eyes. "Let's see where they're going to put them," he suggested softly and Tony nodded.

"Mind if we hang around and watch for a bit?" Jethro asked the contractors.

"Not at all! Think your boy might get a kick out of watching it."

Jethro pushed Tony back a bit so they were out of the way, then sat down on the ground beside him. Tony pushed his glasses up on his nose and watched intently as one of the contractors picked up some of the freshly cut boards and moved them to the bottom of the staircase. Tony reached a hand down and patted Jethro's arm, and stared at the man.

Jethro followed his boy's stare and his eyes widened slightly when he saw that Tony was right—the boards that were cut to fit under the stairs were too short.

"Hey Manny," the guy working under the stairs called out loudly.

A moment later the man who'd carried the boards inside appeared in the under-contstruction-doorway. "Yeah?"

"You idiot, you cut the damn boards too short!" the first guy retorted.

"But I measured it!" Manny called. "How did I…" he watched at the first guy held the board up to the spot where it was supposed to go. "How did I do that," he finally said softly.

"Dunno, but you just set us back an hour. Go to the lumber yard and get more wood, we gotta damn start over," the guy fussed.

The first man, whose name Tony did not know, looked at Jethro. "Can't find good help these days," he muttered as Manny left.

"Coulda been an honest mistake," Jethro said reasonably with a patient shrug. "It happens."

"To every board he cuts?"

Jethro chuckled. "Maybe you shouldn't let him cut the boards!"

"Maybe," the man agreed. He stepped over to where Jethro and Tony were sitting. "Are you the little guy who got buried under the stairs when they fell during the earthquake?" he asked Tony.

Tony looked up at him and bit his lower lip, suddenly shy. The man glanced at Jethro who looked at Tony, then they both chuckled gently.

"He's a bit shy," Jethro said. "But yes, he's the one who was under the stairs."

"Did you hurt your leg when the stairs fell on you?" the guy asked him, pointing at his leg.

"N-no," Tony whispered. "I did not hurted my leg. My mean-daddy hurted my leg."

The contractor looked at Jethro questioningly. "He's adopted," Jethro said quickly. "From an abusive home."

The man's face relaxed and he smiled at Tony. "You landed in good hands," he said. "Gibbs here, he's good people. I think you'll like living with him," he smiled at Tony.

Tony returned the smile. "I love my new daddy," he said softly. "He's a bestest daddy evers!"

The contractor smiled and Jethro climbed to his feet. Tony sat where he was and stayed quiet while the man showed Jethro what all still needed to be done, and showed him a piece of paper with a drawing on it. "Looks good," Jethro said. "You guys are fast too, I really appreciate it."

"With any luck we should be able to get you back in your house in about two, three weeks, tops," the man said.

Jethro made a mental note about that, knowing that was around the same time Tony would have his surgery. "Sounds good," he said. "My dad and mother-in-law will be in town around that time, so that will be good. I'll put 'em to work," he winked at the contractor. They shared a chuckle then Jethro turned back to Tony. "It's nearly dinner time kiddo, you ready to roll?"

Tony smiled and nodded. "Ready a roll Daddy!"

"Can we come by and see how it's going as you go along?" Jethro asked the contractor. "Tony gets a kick out of watching people build things."

"Sure no problem! There's not much else to see right now…Manny's gone to buy more wood, so we're pretty much stuck 'til he gets back."

They bid the contractor goodbye and made plans to return the next day.

xxx

Tony was amazed at how yummy dinner—spaghetti with sauce and garlic bread—tasted, and how his daddy didn't seem to be at all scared to be on his own with Tony. He seemed like he had everything under control. He got a little scared at one point when the noodles were cooking because something splashed out of the pot and made a big sizzle, but Jethro just wiped it up and didn't seem upset by it.

After dinner, they went for a walk around the neighborhood. Gabby had left them a note that Agent Hetty had dropped by and she and Jacob were being moved to a safe house on the other side of town where she would be nowhere near Pepe, and it would separate them to help keep everyone safer. She left her cell phone number, so Jethro could call her later and get more information.

As they walked along, Jethro pushing Tony's wheelchair, Tony leaned his head back and looked up at his daddy. Because he was staying in the chair, Jethro had agreed to let him leave the helmet at home. Tony was tired of wearing the helmet all the time because it made his head feel hot and his hair got wet inside it. It was the middle of summer and he wanted to be free of the cumbersome headgear.

Jethro smiled down at him. "Whatcha thinking bud?"

"I was kind of afraid when Mommy and Kelly left," he said softly. He lowered his head and stared at his lap, ashamed at his confession.

"Why were you afraid?" Jethro asked, worry brewing in his gut. Was Tony afraid to be left alone with Jethro? Did he think that his daddy would hurt him? There was a bench nearby and Jethro steered them towards it so they could talk.

Tony shrugged and didn't answer, and he didn't look up either. Jethro sat down on the bench and ducked his head so he could look at Tony. "Tony? Talk to me son. What's going on in that noggin' of yours?"

Tony looked up at his daddy, and his eyes filled with tears. He was ashamed he felt that way, but he was also scared, and he was scared he'd make Jethro mad, and he was scared that Shannon would never come back.

"I…I just…am scared," he whispered.

Jethro lifted him out of the wheelchair and settled him gently on his lap, taking care to prop up his leg carefully so it wouldn't hurt. "It's alright to be scared kiddo," he said. "What's got you scared?"

"What…what if…" he took a deep shuddering breath. "What if Mommy never comes back?" he whispered, ashamed to have even had the thought. His little shoulders drooped and two tiny tears fell from his eyes.

"Of course she'll come back," Jethro said. "She'll be back before you know it. She and Kelly are just going on a trip."

"But…I…" he sighed softly. "I do not think we will be ok if Mommy is gone," Tony said, expressing his deepest fear about Shannon leaving. "She always does stuff for us."

Jethro smiled and hugged his boy. "Hey," he said putting a gentle finger under Tony's chin and lifting the boy's tearful face. "I'm not gonna lie to ya," Jethro said softly. "It's different with Mommy and Kelly gone. And I don't promise to do everything right, or the way she does it," he said, "but I promise you—pinky promise cross my heart that we will be ok with her on her trip."

"I sorry Daddy," Tony said. "I do not want to make you sad. I love you," Tony hugged his neck.

"It's alright now Buddy," Jethro said gently, hugging his boy back. "We'll have to work together to make it fun, ok? Can you help me?"

Tony looked up at him and a smile slowly broke out on his face. "Ok," he said softly.

"It won't be the same as it would be with the girls here, but we'll be alright," Jethro reassured him. He leaned in and grinned conspiratorially. "And if we don't eat all of our vegetables, it will be our little secret ok?"

Tony giggled. "Daddy you silly! Mommy always knows you do not eat your vegetables!"

Jethro hung his head. "Busted," he said with a chuckle.

He settled Tony back into his chair. "C'mon Rascal," he said. "Let's get home. You need a bath, I need a bath, and there is some serious playtime ahead of us—we need to rest up for it."

Tony smiled and giggled as his daddy broke into a jog with his chair. "Faster Daddy," he dared. "I wanna go faster!"

xxx

That night, after Tony had a bath, Jethro had a shower, Tony had some tylenol and ibuprofen to keep the pain away, and they were settled in watching a movie—complete with buttery popcorn!—the phone rang. Tony was sitting on the couch with Jethro, leaning against him with heavy eyes, and he startled badly when the phone rang.

"Easy," Jethro said, hitting the button to pause the movie. They'd stopped by the rental store and Tony had selected the Kung Fu Panda movie. "It's just the phone ringing." He smiled. Tony had very nearly been asleep. He picked up the phone. "Hello? …Hey honey!"

Tony's ears perked up at the greeting he heard. He blinked his sleepy eyes open. Daddy talked on the phone for a few minutes to Mommy and then said, "Oh yeah, he's here, hang on." Jethro passed Tony the phone and winked at him.

Tony raised the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"_Hi baby!"_

"Mommy?" Tony asked softly. Jethro pressed something into his hand, and when the child looked he smiled. It was the picture Mommy had promised she left for him.

"_How was your afternoon Sweetheart?"_

"It was good Mommy! We went to our other house and watched the guys build some, but one guy cut the wood all too little and the other one fussed at him. So he had to leave to go buy more because he cut the other ones too little. I told Daddy they was too little and I was right!"

"_Sounds exciting,"_ Shannon exclaimed. _"You're such a smart boy! What else did you do?"_

"After we leaved our other house we comed back a this house. Gabby and Baby Jacob left a cause Agent Hetty told 'em she found 'em their own house, and Daddy cooked supper—Mommy did you know Daddy could cook? He made asketti and garlicky breads and he only splashed onna stove one time, which was good a cause I was kind of scared that Daddy was cooking a cause he does not cook a lot. I was really scared when you leaved a cause you always do all a cooking and washing clothes and taking care of everybody. I did not think we would be ok with you gone, but Daddy promised me that things a be different without you but they would be ok. After we eated dinner, me and Daddy went for a walk and we talked some, and he sat on a bench and I sitted on his lap and we talked some more, and he promised we would be ok 'til you come home a cause I was scared a little, and then we hadda race coming home and daddy ran and I was in my wheelchair and Daddy said I winned a cause I got to the porch afore he did, but I think we both winned a cause he was pushing me and I would not a be able a go anywheres if he did not push me a cause my arms is not strong enough a make me go fast. When we got back from our walk me and Daddy went to a movie store and he gots us a movie a watch, and we comed back here and we had our baths, and Daddy washed a hind my ears and in my elbows real good, and once I was 'queaky clean then Daddy gived me my medicine so my leg and my head do not hurt and then he made us popcorn—did you know Daddy knows how a make popcorn Mommy? I did _not_ know that!—and then we started a watch a King Food Panda, but I's kind of tired now, and then you called and Mommy I miss you! When are you going to comed home?"

Shannon chuckled and Tony stared at her picture sadly. "I miss you Mommy," he said softly. "But me and Daddy…we's ok."

"_It sounds like you had quite an exciting day,"_ Shannon said. _"Kelly and I rode in an airplane and when we got here we went to Grandpa's store that he works in and stayed there with him for a bit, and then we went out to eat dinner. Kelly said she misses you already and has picked out some things for us to bring back for you!"_

"Will you be home a morrow?" Tony wanted to know.

"_Nope, remember we talked about it? I'll be gone for nine days."_

"Nine days is a long time," Tony said mournfully.

"_It won't be so bad. Sounds like you and Daddy are having lots of fun together,"_ Shannon said.

"Yeah," Tony said. "It's good. I like being with Daddy, but I miss you Mommy."

"_I miss you too Tony,"_ Shannon said. _"Can I talk to Daddy again?"_

"Ok," Tony said.

"_I love you baby boy,"_ Shannon said.

"I love you too Mommy," Tony whispered and handed the phone back to Jethro. He laid his head back down on his daddy and he looked at her picture. Jethro and Shannon talked on the phone for a few more minutes, Jethro chuckling and filling in more details about their day, and it sounded to Tony like Mommy was teasing Daddy a bit about some of the things Tony had told her. He looked up at his daddy and received a huge smile from him. Jethro ruffled his hair lightly and crossed his eyes at him.

Tony giggled.

"Ok babe, I'll let ya go…Uh huh…alright. Talk more tomorrow," Jethro said. "I love you too honey." He hit a button and ended the call. Then Jethro picked up the remote and pressed the button to restart the movie.

"Daddy?" Tony said after a minute.

Jethro paused the movie again. "Yeah bud?"

"I miss Mommy," he said softly.

Jethro pressed a gentle kiss to Tony's forehead. "I miss her too," he said quietly. "But we're gonna be alright. We're tough guys, right?"

Tony nodded. "Rawrrrrrrr I a tough guy grrrrrr," he said making his muscles stand out. "I strong arrrrrrrr!" Then he broke off in a fit of giggles.

"You're tired and silly too," Jethro said with a chuckle. He ruffled Tony's hair again and the child kept giggling.

The giggling was contagious and soon, both of them were laying on the couch giggling uncontrollably at each other, making funny faces and starting the giggles all over again.

They laughed and laughed until one of Tony's giggles broke off into a huge yawn. Jethro was trying to get his own giggles under control and glanced at the clock. Nearly 10pm! Holy shit! "Tony," he said softly, shifting on the couch.

Tony didn't answer.

Jethro looked at his child, who appeared to have fallen right to sleep in the middle of his yawning-giggling fit, right here on the couch with his head on his Daddy's lap.

"Past your bedtime kiddo," he whispered softly. He slowly eased himself out from under Tony and then scooped him up in his arms. He walked to the bedroom and coaxed a very sleepy Tony into his pajamas. Seeing how sleepy Tony was, Jethro decided that foregoing the nightly teeth brushing could be forgiven just this once, and he pulled the covers back on the bed.

He helped Tony get under the covers and noticed that his littlest one was almost asleep again. Jethro pulled up the covers and pressed a kiss to Little Tony's forehead. He turned on the lamp and started towards the bedroom door when Tony stirred.

"Daddy?" he mumbled softly.

Jethro turned back to his son. "Yeah Tony?"

Tony snaked a hand out from under the blankets and grabbed Jethro's hand. "Will…sleep…here?" he was very nearly asleep.

Jethro smiled. "Let me go get changed and I'll come back and sleep with you ok?"

Tony smiled in his sleep and didn't respond. Jethro hurried from the room and quickly changed, locked up the house tightly, turned on the light over the stove as was their habit, and brushed his teeth. He returned to Tony's bedroom and closed the door behind him. Tony was sound asleep, drooling on his pillow, arms wrapped tightly around the stuffed octopus that accompanied him to bed every night.

Jethro slid under the covers and before he could get situated, the child had rolled over and was sprawled on top of him. He sniffled once then smiled in his sleep.

Jethro breathed out a nearly silent chuckle. "Good night Tony. I love you," he whispered.

"G…nite…Daddy."

In moments, both of them were sound asleep.

TBC…


	22. The Mice Will Play

**WARNING: Cliffhanger! Kinda-graphic description of violent sexual assault. The end of the chapter may be disturbing to some readers. Proceed with caution!**

**Author's Note:** I'm attaching the Cheesy Potatoes recipe to the bottom of this chapter for anyone who's interested. They really are "a best ah-tatoes evers!"

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 22: The Mice Will Play**

The next couple of days passed with Tony becoming increasingly confident in Jethro's ability to keep him alive until Shannon returned. It was early on Friday morning when Jethro's phone rang, jerking him out of sleep. He glanced blearily at the phone for a moment before glancing over his shoulder at his son who was still sacked out next to him, sound asleep.

Flipping the phone open and rubbing a hand over his eyes, Jethro answered the call. "Mmmm yeah. Gibbs." He yawned.

"Gunny? It's Msgt Johnson. Wake up." Jethro could hear the smile in his CO's voice. "Getting lazy with all this time off you've had," he chuckled.

"Yessir," Gibbs said, smiling and sitting up in bed. "You know it. What can I do for you Sir?"

"I hate to do this, Gunny, but I spoke with Agent Lange several days ago and she is in need of some information regarding the murder case she is investigating here on base."

"Right," Gibbs said.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come in and gather that information together for me, if it isn't too much trouble. I know you are on leave, but I am covered up with work here, and you're the only other one with access to that information. I thought I would have had time to get to it before now, but I've got people breathing down my neck from every angle and just haven't had a moment."

"I can come in this morning and get the information together for you," Jethro said, "But I have to bring my son with me. Shannon took Kelly to Pennsylvania for a visit with the grandparents and Tony and I stayed here."

"That's fine; you're only going to be in the office right? There'd be no need to go to the ranges or anything?"

"No I wouldn't think so," Jethro said. "I should only be in the office."

"Then it's absolutely fine for you to bring him with you. I think the ranges might be hard on him since he's in the wheelchair right now."

"He's not too keen on loud noises or gunshots either," Jethro said softly. "I'll wake him up and feed him then we'll be in. Shouldn't be too long."

"Just sometime today would be great. Thanks again Gunny."

"No problem Sir." Jethro hung up the phone. He slid out of bed and headed to the coffee pot. He'd let it brew while he had a quick shower then he'd grab a cup and wake Tony up.

xxx

The trip to the office was quick and painless. Jethro was able to get his work done quickly because Tony was entertained by the other marines working nearby. They were full of questions about why Tony had the external fixator on his leg, what happened to his leg, what the helmet was for. Tony was all smiles, happy to be the center of attention and he regaled the marines with his stories of his injuries. Occasionally the adults would shoot incredulous glances at Jethro who would merely smirk and nod, or, depending on the tale Tony was telling, frown and nod. He wasn't sure he liked how nonchalantly Tony spoke of being shot in the face.

When they got back to the car, an hour or so after Jethro took Tony into the office, Tony was being very quiet. Jethro carefully pulled out into traffic, and glanced in his rearview mirror. "Tony? Ya alright?"

"Just…am thinking," Tony said softly, staring out the window at the passing scenery.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Tony was quiet for a long moment, and then let out a soft sigh. "Do you think…I mean…I sorry I am talking about it again…Do you think my mean-daddy misses me?" he asked softly.

Jethro stopped at a red light and rubbed his chin, honestly unsure of how to proceed. He knew he shouldn't take it personally when his little boy brought up his biological father, but every time he did, it felt to Jethro as though he was doing something wrong—something that made Little Tony remember that he had a different daddy. Jethro knew that was silly, and that no matter how much good he did it wouldn't completely erase the harm that was done to his child, but it still made him feel bad.

Shoving those feelings down, Jethro took a deep breath. "Tony…son…I…I don't know," he said finally.

Tony turned bright, glassy eyes to his daddy and looked at him. "Is…did I…you mad? Daddy?"

Jethro shook his head and hit the gas as the light changed to green. "No, I'm not angry Tony. Not at all. It's just hard because I know how badly you miss your mean daddy. I wish I could make that better for you."

"Do you think we could write him a letter? Will you help me?"

With the restraining order against Senior, Jethro was pretty certain that they were not allowed to make any contact with him. "Tony…I don't think we can write to him."

Tony's face looked tremendously sad. "Oh," Tony said.

"After your mean-daddy hurt you…Tony the judge—do you remember the judge?" At Tony's silent nod he continued, "The judge made your mean-daddy go away to jail. And he said that as long as he was in jail no one could talk to him. It's kind of like being in time out, only for grown ups. Do you understand?"

Tony nodded. Kelly had been put in time out once or twice and it made her absolutely miserable.

"I just want to tell him I still think of him some. Maybe it would help him to not be mean."

Jethro sighed. His son was so full of goodness…it just broke his heart that people would ever be mean to him. "Sweetheart…sometimes people are sick and it makes them be mean to other people. They can't help but be mean to them, no matter how hard others try to love them. And usually what happens is the people who love them end up getting hurt because of it. I'm not sure your mean-daddy even knows how to miss someone, son," Jethro said regretfully, knowing it would make Tony sad. "Sometimes people who are sick like that…they don't know how to love…they don't know what it means to care about someone enough to miss them."

Tony thought about that for a long moment. Jethro pulled the car into the driveway at the safe house and put it in park. He walked around the back of the car and when he opened Tony's door, the child looked up at him. "Can we get him some meh-cines? A cause when I gets sick you and Mommy always gives me meh-cines."

"I think the people that are taking care of him while he's in jail will make sure he has everything he needs. If they think he needs medicine they will make sure he gets to go to the doctor. OK?"

"Daddy?"

"Yeah buddy?" Jethro lifted Tony out of the car and placed him in the wheelchair that he'd gotten out of the SUV's hatchback.

"Can we call a jail on a phone and ask 'em if my mean-daddy is ok?"

Jethro sighed. "Tell ya what I'll do," he said. "I'll call up Miss Anne. Do you remember her?" Tony nodded. "Anne can call the jail and check on your mean-daddy ok? And that way we won't get into any trouble for talking to him while he's in time out."

Tony gave him a sad little smile and a thumbs up. "A-oh-kay," he said softly.

xxx

Jethro called Anne Joseph, the social worker who had done so much to help the Gibbs family gain custody of Little Tony, and she was perplexed—to put it mildly—by the request that Tony had made.

"_I don't understand why, if he's so content and happy with you all, that he would even bother himself with worrying about his father,"_ she said softly on the phone to Jethro.

"I'm not sure I understand it either," Jethro replied, "but one thing I do know is that Tony takes family very seriously. He's exceptionally forgiving and welcoming. He doesn't want to see his father, has made that very clear, but wanted to contact him in some way, to let him know that Tony's thinking of him and wondering how he's doing."

"_Well…I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but because of the restraining order you all have against Mr. DiNozzo, I don't think any of you can make contact with him."_

"That's what I was thinking," Jethro said softly. "And so I was wondering if you could call the prison and get an update for Tony."

Anne nearly groaned out loud. She'd been afraid of this_. "Alright,"_ she said softly. _"I'll make no promises. I have to check into the law and see if I can make the call. I will be in touch."_

"Thank you Anne. I know it's a difficult place I put you in," Jethro said.

"_I'll let you know what I find out. Be prepared though, there is a likely chance that we won't be able to get any information."_

"I received a call from the prison a couple of weeks ago," Jethro said softly, "telling me that he'd been attacked and was in critical condition and could I please let his next of kin know. Turns out he's made Tony his next of kin."

"_I'll get that fixed as well,"_ Anne said_. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll call you back."_

xxx

Tony was asleep on the couch. He'd had a round of physical therapy earlier in the afternoon and it had left him sore and tired. Monday they were supposed to meet Julie at a rehab center so they could use the parallel bars for Tony to begin weight bearing. In preparation for that, Julie had been putting in some extra sessions to get Tony's stamina built up a bit. Jethro was in the kitchen making dinner when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and smiled sadly when he saw it was Anne returning his call.

"Hello?"

"_Jethro, Anne. I spoke with the correctional facility."_

Jethro put the potatoes he was making in the pot. He was going to surprise Tony with a different kind of dinner tonight—and he hoped that he liked it. "Were you able to get any information?"

"_I found out that Mr. DiNozzo has been returned to GenPop. He was injured pretty severely, but as of now, no one is sure of what exactly happened."_

"Hope he's got some scars from it," Jethro said casually. "It's the least anyone could do for him." He really didn't bother with trying not to be bitter. He hated the sonofabitch and made no secret of it.

"_I also spoke with the magistrate who filed the restraining order. I removed Tony's name from Mr. DiNozzo's next of kin, and assumed that role myself. As a social worker for the state, this is within my rights to do, as he has no other family that we know of. He will receive a letter from me explaining this. Tony does not need that burden. Also, and this won't be easy I'm sure, but Tony and the rest of you are not allowed to have any contact with Mr. DiNozzo whatsoever. If you need assistance with Tony, to help him to better understand that, please feel free to call me and I would be more than willing to help if I can."_

"Thanks," Jethro said, a feeling of relief washing over him. "I think he'll be ok with it. I'll talk to him. Thank you for making those calls."

"_You're quite welcome. Have a good evening."_

"You too Anne," Jethro said. "Goodbye." He hung up the phone.

Jethro turned and opened the refrigerator, pulling out the steaks that he'd selected at the market yesterday morning. He glanced into the living room and saw that the fire was about ready to begin cooking, and the grill was placed in the correct position on top of the fire. He smiled and grabbed a plate. "Two cowboy-steaks coming right up," he said softly to himself.

Tony heard a loud sizzling sound and slowly blinked his eyes open. Something smelled yummy, and something else smelled like it was on fire. He looked around and his eyes widened when he saw a fire in the fireplace (in the summer?) and his daddy on his knees in front of it. He was poking at something.

"Daddy?"

Jethro glanced over his shoulder. "Hey buddy! Did you have a good nap?"

Tony nodded and slowly pushed himself up on the couch. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "What…doin?"

"Making dinner," Jethro said. "I have to grab the potatoes, I'll be right back ok?"

Tony yawned again and nodded. "Mmmk," he said.

Jethro came back a moment later with a bowl of potatoes. They looked different than anything Tony had tried before—they looked cheesy? Tony's eyes widened. Mommy _never_ made cheesy potatoes! The little boy watched as his daddy dropped to his knees in front of the fireplace and he used his knife to stab something and then flip whatever-it-was over. He let it stay there for a minute before pulling back from the fire, cutting something with his knife, then scooping some potatoes onto both plates.

"Here ya go kiddo," Jethro said. "This is what big men like to eat—steaks and taters."

Tony smiled. "But I's little!"

"Little men gotta start eating it so they can be big men one day," Jethro said with a smile. He carefully cut Tony's steak into small pieces and handed the plate to him.

Tony's eyes rounded. "We got cheesy ah-tatoes annnnnnd no veg-et-ables?!"

"Not just cheesy potatotes—cheesy _ranch_ potatoes," Jethro said with a proud grin. "I think you'll like them."

Tony took a cautious bite of the potatoes and smiled. "Ohhhhhh these is the best ah-tatoes evers Daddy!"

Jethro laughed. "I'm glad you like them. We'll have to share the recipe with Mommy won't we?"

Jethro watched as Tony stabbed a bit of steak and shoved it into his mouth. The child grinned in pleasure at the taste of the yummy, tender steak—the same steak that his own dad had taught him to make years ago. It was a secret recipe, passed down for several generations of Gibbs Men, and one day Jethro would pass it along to the next Gibbs Man in line—Little Tony.

"Do you like the steak Tony?"

"It yummy!" Tony exclaimed. "How you make it so yummy? Mommy makes steak and it do not taste like that."

"It's a secret recipe," Jethro whispered conspiratorially. "Only us Gibbs Men know how to make it. When you get big enough to cook I will teach you how to make it ok?"

Tony's eyes rounded. "Really? You share a secret with me?"

Jethro kissed Tony's forehead. "Absolutely," he promised.

xxx

Interviews around Jethro's unit were quickly being conducted by Hetty and Mike. It was becoming exceedingly clear that Pepe's behavior had begun to change some toward the beginning of summer; he'd recently gotten a new car, but wouldn't talk about where the funding for it had come from. He was seen out and around after working hours wearing very stylish, very expensive clothes and sunglasses. It was obvious to the people that interacted with Pepe on a day-to-day basis that he was getting money—and a lot of it—from somewhere. But no one knew where.

Hetty raised her hand and knocked on the door. Mike stood behind her, slightly to the left, on her six as any good SFA should be. They were there to interview the man himself—Pedro Hernandez had some things he needed to answer for.

A young man answered the door a few moments later, and Hetty was struck by how good looking, how intelligent, how…put together, this young man seemed to be.

"Sergeant Pedro Hernandez?"

Hernandez nodded. "Yes."

"Otherwise known to your friends as 'Pepe'?"

"That's right. And you are?"

Hetty flashed her badge. "Special Agent Lange, NCIS. This is Special Agent Franks. We have a few questions for you."

Pedro smiled pleasantly. "Won't you come inside?"

Hetty and Mike stepped inside Hernandez's home. He took them into the living room and offered them each a place to sit. "Can I get you anything to drink?" he asked politely.

"No thank you," Hetty said. "Please, join us," she indicated another chair in the room.

Pepe sat down in the chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. "What can I do for you?"

xxx

Hetty stormed through the bullpen, as angry as Mike had ever seen her. "Get me a goddamn search warrant!" the Senior Agent roared over the chatter in the bullpen. "I want to see what that sonofabitch is hiding!"

Hetty's probationary agent, Agent Phelps, immediately got on the phone with Legal to get the search warrant ordered. Hetty threw her keys on the desk.

Franks watched her carefully. "We'll get him," he said. "We always get 'em."

Hetty leveled a stare at Mike. They'd seen how Pepe's home overlooked the sandbox in the playground. And Hetty hadn't missed the long jagged scratches on his arm—perhaps from fingernails? Yes, she wanted answers. Phelps hung up the phone and told her that Legal would have the search warrant ready in a couple of hours.

Hetty nodded in satisfaction, then took a deep breath. "I need coffee," she muttered.

xxx

Pepe sat in the living room and waited for a couple of minutes after the agents left. Then he stood up and peeked out the window, making sure that the agent had, in fact, left. Then he smiled darkly. "You think you're so smart, don't you Agent?" he murmured softly.

He strolled upstairs and loaded up a syringe. "Well," he smiled darkly. "We'll see who the smart one is. I'll fix you."

Stepping down the hall, he opened the door to the back bedroom. Gabby lay on the bed, tape over her mouth, ropes binding her tightly to the bed. Pepe smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to her taped lips, smirking when she shook her head weakly. He pulled a condom out of his pocket, and took off his clothes, straddling her bound form. She moaned into her gag, tears spilling from her eyes.

He'd posed as a mailman, and knocked on the door of the safe house, snatching her right from the place where she should have been most safe. He wondered about her kid, but figured someone would have found him by now.

"Pretty Gabriella," he murmured, brushing the backs of his fingers over her cheek. He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck. Gabby squirmed and moved away as much as she could while still being bound. "You're such a hot lover," he whispered saucily in her ear and she shuddered. He pulled back and suddenly struck her on the face with his fist. She whimpered at the sudden pain, and her eyes flashed with fear.

"I should kill you," he said and spat on her face. "But I will make you pay for what you did to me."

With a grunt of satisfaction, he penetrated her body with his nakedness, smiling down at her as tears of pain and muffled groans escaped the pretty bound girl below him.

TBC!

* * *

><p><strong>Cheesy Ranch Potatoes<strong>

**You will need:**

**6-8 Red Potatoes  
><strong>**4 Tablespoons Butter  
><strong>**1-2 Teaspoons Salt  
><strong>**1/2 Bottle Prepared Ranch Salad Dressing  
><strong>**1/2 Pound Colby Jack Cheese, shredded and divided in half.**

**1. Dice up Red Potatoes, as many as you like. Do not peel. Boil in butter, water, and salt until fork tender. Preheat Oven to 350***

**2. Drain potatoes. Return potatoes to pot.**

**3. Add enough prepared Ranch Salad Dressing to lightly coat potatoes (I usually use about half a bottle). Mix in half of the shredded cheese.**

**4. Place potatoes in casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350* until cheese is melted (about 5-10 min). SERVE & ENJOY!**

*_This recipe makes about 4 servings. Adjust for more or less accordingly._


	23. Brains Over Beauty

**Warning! Violence, torture, psychological abuse…our favorite killer's really losing it…**

_Thanks to my wonderful beta, Gotgoats, for all your help and encouragement on this chapter! You're amazing! Love you!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 23: Brains Over Beauty**

Hetty was standing in line at the coffee shop when her phone rang. "Agent Lange," she answered. Her eyes widened when she heard the news the other agent was giving her. "What the hell happened?" she snapped. "How did someone just waltz onto the property and abduct Gabriella Oliver right out of the safe house? Where the HELL were you agents?!" She listened for a minute more, then sighed, "I'll get Franks and we'll be right out." She snapped the phone shut with an angry click and left the line, her cup of coffee temporarily forgotten.

Gibbs was giving Little Tony a bath—no mean feat when you had a squirmy six year old in a soapy bathtub, with one of his legs elevated out of the water and immobilized. He groaned when his cell phone rang and craned his neck to look up on the counter to see who was calling. If it was Shannon they'd call her right back after they finished. He frowned when he saw "AGENT LANGE" on the caller ID and reached for a towel.

"One sec Little Man," Jethro told his son. Tony was splashing in the tub having a royal time and he smiled and nodded. "Keep your foot on the edge of the tub ok?" Tony nodded again.

Jethro answered the phone. "Yeah, Gibbs." He sat down on the closed toilet lid and listened, trying to mask his horror from his son, as he heard from Agent Lange about Gabby and the fact that she'd been abducted from the other safe house. "Do they have any idea who…" Hetty cut him off as he began to speak. He put his head in his hands as he listened to the name of their primary suspect. Pedro Hernandez, of course. She was the one who'd reported him in the first place. It made the most sense. And it had been quite obvious to Hetty that the Sergeant was hiding something when they visited his house earlier in the day, though she couldn't prove it or say specifically what it was that made her think that. So the agents were now waiting on the search warrant that would grant them entry to the entire house. "Thanks for letting me know, Hetty," Jethro said quietly, his voice full of pain and concern. "Will you keep me posted?" Another pause. "Thank you." He closed the phone and rubbed a hand over his mouth.

"Daddy?" Tony's voice drew him back to the present.

"Sorry Tony, Daddy just got distracted for a minute. Let's finish your bath, yeah? That way we'll be ready when Mommy calls."

"What did Agent Hetty want?" Tony wanted to know.

"She was just…giving me some updates on the investigation," Jethro hedged.

"You sad Daddy," Tony observed quietly. "Did somebody do something bad?"

Jethro nodded. "You know Gabby, right?" Tony nodded. Jethro took a deep breath. "Someone took Gabby today. Out of her house. Agent Hetty is trying to find her."

"Is it the same mean person who hurted that lady a cause she was inna sandbox?"

Jethro took a deep breath. "They think it might be the same person Tony. But he isn't hurting those people because they are in the sandbox. That's just where he puts them when he is finished hurting them."

Tony nodded and looked down at his lap. The water was still now, the happy splashing was gone. When Tony looked back up at his daddy there were tears in his eyes. "Daddy?"

"Yeah Bud?" Jethro slid off the toilet lid and got on his knees next to the tub so he could finish scrubbing Tony clean.

"Is Gabby gonna go a heaven like my Mommy did?" Tony whispered.

Jethro took a deep breath, his heart breaking for his son's pain. "I don't…" he swallowed hard. "I don't know, Tony," he whispered. He began soaping up the washcloth again and ran it over Tony's back.

"Daddy?" Tony's voice was wobbling with unshed tears now.

"Yeah Tony?"

Tony took a deep breath. "Where's Gabby's baby?" Tony and the little one had bonded over the few days that they'd stayed together.

Jethro blinked. "I don't…I'm not sure," he said. "But I do know that Agent Hetty will make sure that Baby Jacob is safe too."

"They not gonna put him inna box like I was, is they?"

Jethro shook his head firmly. "No. No we aren't going to let that happen. He'll be safe. I promise."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah Tony?" Jethro lifted Tony out of the tub and set him on the towel on the edge and wrapped it around him.

"Is a mean person gonna take you away too?"

Jethro shook his head and pulled his boy close. "No way," he assured him. "Nothing's going to happen to me. You and me are going to stay very safe and we're going to stay very safe together ok? I will protect you, no matter what. That mean person isn't going to get you." _I will kill him myself before I let that happen,_ Jethro thought to himself.

Tony leaned into his daddy's embrace. "My mean daddy probly woulda gived me away to a mean person," he said softly. Jethro found he couldn't disagree with the assumption. It sounded about right for Senior. "I's glad…I's glad you my daddy now." Tony smiled at him. "You a bestest daddy inna whole world. I love you Daddy."

Jethro pulled Tony over into his lap and hugged his safe little boy tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I love you too baby boy," he said softly.

xxx

It was just getting dark outside when the beat up blue Chevy sedan pulled quietly up to the alley next to the Base Police Department. A man wearing a dark colored sweatshirt and dark glasses got out of the car. He was careful to keep his face turned away from the building, as there were security cameras all around the outside of the police department. He opened the trunk and lifted out a large garbage bag and carried it over to the dumpster. The bag was awkward, heavy, and dead weight—not surprising, given the contents of the bag. It took a bit of effort for him to dump it into the dumpster, and he finally stepped back, brushing his hands together and nodded in satisfaction with his job well done.

Pepe had beaten Gabby after he'd raped her. He'd listened to bones crack and break, cartilage was crushed, and finally he couldn't hear her breathing anymore. Assured that she was now dead, Pepe bundled her up into the trashbag he'd gotten out of his kitchen. He wouldn't dare dump her in the sandbox. She wasn't one of his precious girls. No Gabby was a traitor, and like all traitors, she belonged in the trash.

xxx

Hetty nearly squealed when the call came in that her search warrant was ready. She turned to Franks, Phelps, and Fisher—her three agents—and smiled. "Grab your stuff," she said. "We've got the warrant."

The four agents headed to Hernandez's house and Hetty banged on the door. It was just past dark. Franks wondered if they should have waited until morning to serve the warrant so they would have daylight to operate by, but decided now was not the time to question Hetty's methods. If she wanted it served tonight, there was obviously a reason why. Franks glanced over his shoulder at Agent Fisher. She hadn't been on their team long, only a few months, but she seemed smart and capable. She glanced at him now and smiled nervously. This was the first case of this type that she'd worked. Fresh out of FLET-C, Agent Fisher was still getting a good amount of on-the-job training.

Pepe answered the door and immediately bristled. "Good evening Agent Lange," he bit out. "Back so soon? You must have missed me."

"The only thing I missed was the evidence I need to put you away for five murders. I've got a search warrant. Now let us inside." She shoved past Pepe and the other agents trailed behind her. Pepe stared after them, watching as they began rifling through his things, and reached his hand into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the syringe. Wait, he told himself. It's not time yet. Just…wait…

xxx

Jethro talked to Shannon on the phone for a long time that night after Tony went to bed. They'd called her and talked to her for a few minutes, and Tony had blurted out that Gabby was missing and they didn't know what had happened to Baby Jacob. He was still upset and worried about them, but also nervous and scared for himself and Jethro. Jethro had gotten off the phone and promised to call Shannon back when Tony started demonstrating the symptoms of one of his migraines coming on. The young father carefully dosed up the medicine for his son's headache and sat with him, rubbing his back lightly until he managed to doze off.

"Daddy's here," he whispered into his child's ear, and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his head.

Then he'd gotten up and headed for the living room—just a door away—and kept Tony's bedroom door half open to listen in case anyone tried anything stupid. He didn't think anybody would, but he wasn't taking any chances tonight. Once he was seated in the living room, Jethro called Shannon back.

"Honey it's going to be alright. Agent Hetty is on the case and she's not going to stop until she finds Gabby. It's going to be alright. Tomorrow I will find out where Baby Jacob is and make sure he is safe too, ok? Try not to worry."

"_Try not to worry!" _Shannon screeched in his ear. _"Jethro she was staying IN OUR HOUSE. She was playing in the backyard WITH OUR CHILDREN! What were we thinking?"_

"We were thinking that she needed a safe place to stay," Jethro replied firmly. "And I would do the same thing again if the situation presented itself. You've got to calm down. It's going to be ok. I know you're scared honey," he softened his voice when he heard her sniffle on the other end. "It's scary for all of us. But you and Kelly are safe there, and so far, this guy still only seems to be attacking women. There was a guard who was killed, but it's pretty much been determined that he just got in the killer's way. He wasn't done up the same way the others have been."

"_Jesus Jethro…"_ Shannon breathed. _"When is this going to stop? When are the killings going to stop?"_

"Hetty's on it babe," Jethro said soothingly. "It won't be long now."

_"How's Little Tony doing?"_

Jethro sighed. "Today was…today was tough," he said softly. "He told me he wants to get in touch with Senior."

Shannon gasped in his ear. He could imagine the way she'd put a hand over her mouth, and shake her head slightly in disbelief at his words. God he missed her. He couldn't wait for her to come home.

_"Why does he want to get in touch with Senior?"_

"He wants to make sure that he's ok. That he's being taken care of, and getting everything he needs," Jethro spat softly. "I swear, we have the sweetest kid on the planet. I don't understand why he feels the need to constantly put himself through this with that sonofabitch though."

"_We do have the sweetest child on the planet,_" Shannon agreed. _"And I think that with that comes great responsibility. We're going to have to watch him Jethro. We're going to have to make sure he doesn't get taken advantage of along the way. People will use that against him. And I think Senior would be one of those people."_

"I agree," Jethro said. "But I didn't want to just up and tell him that he couldn't talk to Senior because he's a bad man. So I told him that because he was in so much trouble because of what he did to Tony, that we couldn't talk to him. He insisted though, so I called Anne Joseph and asked her if she could get in touch with the prison. She did, and found out that Senior's doing ok, but we can't make any contact with him because of the restraining order."

_"Thank God,"_ Shannon breathed._ "Honestly I hope the bastard lives to a ripe old age. I want him to suffer for everything he did to Tony."_

"Well if the phone call I got the other day is any indication, it sounds like he's having a rough time of it in the pokey," Jethro said with a chuckle.

"_Good_!" Shannon exclaimed, joining in with Jethro's chuckling.

The two continued talking in hushed tones, both trying not to wake up the children, until the early hours of the morning forced them to say goodnight and get some rest.

xxx

Gabby groaned. She started to move, and breathed a soft sigh of relief when she realized she was no longer bound. Her next realization was that she was in…something. She pushed around and realized it felt like a garbage bag. Using her fingernails, she punched a hole in the bag and began clawing her way out. She took a deep breath of fresh…dumpster…air as soon as she poked her head out and nearly sobbed in relief.

She was alive.

She hurt all over…really wasn't sure how she was going to get out of the dumpster…but she was alive. And Pepe's taken her…he'd left Jacob in the crib in the bedroom…she had to get up. She had to make sure her son was still alive and ok.

As Gabby started to move, she heard footsteps approaching the dumpster. She'd quickly realized that it was night, and so now wondered where she was.

"H'lo," she called. It hurt to move her jaw. She was pretty sure it was either dislocated or broken. "'s…'nybo'y 'ere?" she knew she was slurring badly, but if there was someone there, she needed help and she needed it fast. She banged weakly on the side of the dumpster. "Hel…me…p'ease…"

Someone heard her. A man poked his head over the side of the dumpster then and his eyes widened. Gabby's eyes widened when she realized it was the CO of that dummy she'd had so many problems with earlier.

"Jesus God," the man said softly. "What happened to you?" He pulled out a phone and immediately began dialing 911. He told the operator where they were, who she was, and what appeared to have happened. Had she really been beaten? That wasn't good, but it didn't surprise her. She didn't remember it though. All she remembered was…a gasp escaped her lips.

"Hang on," Gunnery Sergeant Madison said. He climbed up and into the dumpster with her. Christ she was a mess. He took off his uniform coat and covered her with it. Other than the garbage bag that she was weakly trying to fight her way out of, the young Lance Corporal was completely naked.

"Di…th's…t'me…" Gabby mumbled around her sore mouth. "Peh…peh…di…th's…t'me…"

Sirens signaled the arrival of the emergency vehicles. "Ok," Madison said. "Ok. Let me call Agent Hetty and I will have her meet you at the hospital alright? We've been looking for you, ever since yesterday. It's going to be alright now."

"Buh…bay…bee," Gabby forced out. "Mah…bay…bee…"

"We'll find out who has him right now too. We'll get him to see you as soon as you're settled at the hospital alright? You just hang on."

Feeling more and more traumatized with each passing moment, Gabby reached out and grabbed the Gunny's hand. "D-Don'…lee…me…p'ease…"

Madison gave her hand a gentle squeeze and patted the back of it. "I won't leave you," he promised. "I'll stay with you and I'll keep you safe. Your baby too."

With a soft sigh and a barely perceptible nod, Gabby closed her eyes and let herself sink into oblivion.

xxx

Hetty was up to her elbows in kitchen cabinet contents when her cell phone rang. "Lange," she snapped into the phone. She nearly dropped the glass she was holding. "You're kidding," she breathed. "Yes, yes of course. We'll be right there." She snapped the phone shut. Quickly logging what she had checked, Hetty hurried to the next room where Mike was working.

"We've got to go," she said. The three agents turned and looked at her. "Phelps, you and Fisher stay here and keep working," she said. "Franks and I have to go to the Base Hospital. They've found Gabriella Oliver. And she's alive."

Pepe froze for a split second. Well. That was unexpected. He'd felt sure he'd beaten her enough to kill her. And then he'd tied her up in a plastic bag and dumped her in a dumpster in the middle of summer. There was no reason why she should have been found. Besides—who in the police department would go dumpster diving anyway? How had they found her? His plan had been perfect! Anger washed over him.

Hetty and Mike hurried out, with assurances that they would be back as soon as they could. They had to hurry to the hospital though. From what the officer had told Hetty, Gabriella Oliver was not in good shape, and Hetty wanted to make damn good and for sure that she got her statement in case anything happened.

xxx

Jethro had dozed off in the chair in the living room when he heard a quiet thump. He was on his feet in an instant, tiptoeing through the house. The sound had come from Tony's bedroom. He turned on the light in the hallway, his service handgun in his other hand, and he squinted in the semi-darkness at what he saw.

"Tony?" he asked, feeling his gut relax. "What the heck are ya doin' in the floor?"

Tony was scooting on his rear end across the floor, a determined expression on his face. He smiled cheekily up at his Daddy. "I needa go potty," he said proudly. "So's I goin' a go potty!"

The physical therapist had taught Tony how to slide carefully off of furniture so he could get around a bit on his own. Jethro chuckled at his independent little boy. "You coulda just called me," he said, pride leaking into his tone. "I woulda come to help you."

"I tinking you was sleepin'," Tony told him, stopping his movements and looking up at his daddy.

"Remember what happened before when you thought you shouldn't wake me up because I was sleeping?" Jethro asked gently.

Tony thought for a moment then poked his lower lip out and ducked his head, nodding slightly. "I falled down and broked my leg," he said sadly.

"Yes," Jethro said, squatting down in front of Tony. "And even though it was an accident—you didn't mean to do it—we could have avoided that happening if you had woke me or Mommy up, right?"

Tony nodded sullenly. Jethro ruffled his hair. "I know it's hard for you," he said sympathetically. "You're wanting so badly to not have to have help with everything aren't you?"

Tony nodded again and didn't look up. Jethro smiled. "Tell ya what," he said. "Why don't we stand you up and I'll let you hop to the bathroom if you promise to let me hold onto you. Deal?"

Tony's eyes widened. "Really?" he breathed.

Jethro smiled and tapped Tony under the chin, drawing a smile from his boy. "Really," he promised.

As they hopped to the bathroom—Jethro quite impressed with Tony's ability to hop—his phone rang. Jethro frowned. It was very late—past midnight! Who was calling him? He dug his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. He didn't recognize the number, so he flipped his phone open.

"Gibbs," he said.

"_Is this Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"_

"Speaking."

"_Gunny my name is Teresa, and I am a nurse here on base. Do you know a Gabriella Oliver?"_

Jethro thought his heart might stop. "Yes," he said breathlessly. "She's in my unit."

"_She is a patient here at the hospital, and has her parents listed as her next of kin. However, when we attempted to call the number that is on file, we found the number has been disconnected. Protocol instructs us to phone a Marine's commanding officer in this situation. That is you, sir."_

"Don't call me sir, I work for a living."

"_Erm…ok, uh, Gunny. Could you come down here? She's kind of in a bad way."_

"What happened to her?"

There was a pause, and Jethro closed his eyes, expecting the worst. _"She's been beaten si—uh, Gunny. And there is evidence that she was sexually assaulted."_

"Sonofabitch," Jethro muttered.

Tony looked up at him and frowned. "Sorry," Jethro mumbled. "Language, I know." He took a deep breath and frowned. They didn't have anything pressing the next morning…he and Tony could go check on Gabby and then come back and sleep late…he spoke softly into the phone. "I have my son with me…we'll be there soon."

"_Thank you Gunny."_ The call ended in his ear.

xxx

It was nearly an hour later before Jethro got to the base hospital with a very sleepy Tony. He carefully bundled Tony into the wheelchair and headed for the entrance. He'd called back and gotten Gabby's room number. He'd let Shannon know in the morning that Gabby had been found. Tony yawned as they headed for the elevator and snuggled down in his chair a bit.

Jethro was quiet as they rode the elevator up to the eighth floor. Tony wobbled his head forward a bit, then picked it back up. Jethro smiled sympathetically and leaned down, tucking the little blanket a bit tighter over Tony. The little one was chilly in the summer evening, and snuggly from being denied the ability to go back to bed. He was a surprisingly good sport though, staying quiet and dozing lightly in his chair.

By the time they got to Gabby's room, Tony's head was completely rocked forward and he was sound asleep and snoring gently. Jethro knocked lightly on the door and poked his head inside. The Gunny was surprised when the door was pulled open by someone—the Gunny from the police department was in the room.

"Thank you for staying with her," Jethro said, shaking Madison's hand. True to his word, Gunnery Sergeant Madison had not left Gabby's side since he'd found her in the dumpster.

"She asked me not to leave her," Madison said. "I promised her I wouldn't, so I'll be here until she asks me to leave."

Gibbs nodded. "Good man," he said. He glanced at Gabby and his eyes widened, and he felt immediately glad that Tony had dozed off. Gabby looked like something out of a horror movie. Her entire face was swollen and dark stitches held several deep lacerations on her face closed. She had stitches around her eye and a thick gash that ran up into her hair. Her arm was in a sling, and Jethro thought that her jaw might be wired shut.

"Her jaw is broken," Madison said, keeping his voice low. "Doctor wired it shut. Said it would be like that for a few weeks. Her wrist is broken, she's got four broken ribs, and her nose is broken. It's kind of a miracle that she survived."

"She's tough," Jethro said. He and Madison were careful not to talk too loudly. Gabby was sleeping, and Jethro didn't want to wake her up. The two Gunnies talked for a few more minutes, Tony snoring lightly in the wheelchair, Gabby snoring lightly on the bed. Jethro was just getting ready to leave when Gabby suddenly startled and let out a soft moaning wail.

Jethro watched as Craig Madison made his way over to the bed and gently took Gabby's hand in hers. "Easy," he murmured. "You're safe. It's alright. Just relax." Jethro raised an eyebrow at the way the other man so confidently comforted Gabby. She blinked her eyes open weakly in the dimly lit room and Jethro watched her visibly relax when she saw who was with her.

"Gunny Gibbs is here," Madison told Gabby. The eye that she could open (the one that was not swollen shut) slid over to where Gibbs was standing with his hands on the handles of Tony's wheelchair.

"Gih…" she moaned softly.

Jethro stepped to her side. "You're safe now," he said, lightly brushing her hair back. "You're going to be just fine."

"Jeh…cub…" her eye blinked shut tiredly.

"I'll find out where he is," Gibbs said, easily understanding that Gabby was asking for Jacob. "It's going to be fine. You get some rest. Madison says he's going to stay with you. That ok?"

"Mmmmh," Gabby assented.

Gibbs nodded and glanced at Madison who nodded. "I'll check on you again tomorrow. Do you want me to work on getting in touch with your parents?"

Gabby shook her head slightly. No. She didn't want them to know. Jethro frowned, but respected it. "Alright," he said. "Get some rest. You're going to be fine."

Gabby didn't answer. She took a deep breath and was asleep again. Jethro nodded at Madison and started out the room, but stopped when Craid put a hand on Jethro's arm. "Yeah?" Jethro asked.

"Um…one question," Craig said softly. Jethro nodded. "Who is Jacob?" Craig whispered.

Jethro smiled. "Her little boy. He's almost two."

"She kept asking for her baby," Madison said. "That makes more sense now. Thank you Gunny," Craig said.

"You're welcome," Jethro said. "I'll check in tomorrow."

"Take your boy home. Goodnight."

"Night." Jethro pushed Tony out of the room, relieved beyond belief that the young girl—beat up as she was—was going to be alright.

xxx

After Hetty and Mike left, Agents Phelps and Fisher continued their search of Pepe's house. Pepe paced the length of the living room, glaring whenever one of the agents walked past, rolling his eyes while they weren't looking. Hetty and Mike had been gone about fifteen minutes when an idea dawned in Pepe's head.

Agent Fisher headed out for the NCIS van. They had run out of bags and tags. She knew there was more inside the back of the van. As she walked past the living room, Sergeant Hernandez smiled at her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up a bit at the eerily cheerful expression on their suspect's face. She hurried outside, not wanting to leave her partner alone for long in that house.

Pepe silently followed Agent Fisher down the hall, through the foyer, and waited until she was almost to the NCIS van before he closed his front door softly and flipped the lock on it. Smiling deviously, he turned and headed upstairs. The other agent was upstairs, no doubt pawing through his things, finding his cargo, uncovering his secrets. That wouldn't do at all. He reached the top of the stairs and stopped in the bathroom long enough to get a hammer out of the tool box he kept under the sink.

The sergeant closed the cabinet door softly and stood up. He walked silently down the hall, having lived in the house long enough to know which boards to avoid stepping on to keep his tread silent. Fury washed over him when he saw the agent folding up the blanket on the bed where his girls rested. This was absolutely unacceptable. Pepe stepped up behind the agent and before he could think twice about it he lifted the hammer…

xxx

Agent Fisher finished collecting the materials she needed out of the van and returned to the house. She frowned when she saw the door closed, knowing that she hadn't closed it behind her when she went outside—had, in fact, made a point to leave it open. She walked right up to the door and jiggled the doorknob. Adrenaline surged through her when she realized the door was locked. She could pick the lock, but it might be faster to run around to the back of the house.

Fisher let out a sigh and started towards the back of the house. She pulled out her phone and dialed Hetty.

"_Lange,"_ Hetty snapped.

"Boss it's Fisher," Agent Karen Fisher spoke very softly into the phone. "We have a situation here."

"_What is it?"_

"I stepped outside to get more bags and tags and when I headed back to the house…I think Hernandez has barricaded himself inside with Phelps."

"_Goddammit,"_ Hetty muttered. _"We're on our way."_ She was torn between getting Gabby's statement and keeping her people alive.

"I'm going to see if I can get inside," Karen said softly.

"_NO!"_ Hetty exclaimed. _"This is a potential hostage situation. You do not go into that house without backup. I repeat, Agent Fisher, do not go into that house alone!"_

By now Karen had reached the back of the house. She peeked in a window, trying to see something. "I'll wait for you," she said. "I'm around back." She snapped the phone shut.

Suddenly in the window she saw the reflection of Pedro Hernandez standing behind her. He had an odd smile on his face. Before she could scream, turn around or anything, Hernandez closed his hand over her mouth, muffling her screams. He pulled her body flush against his and his evil smile grew. He held up a needle just before he plunged it into the side of her throat. The phone slipped from her fingers.

"You're a bit plainer than I usually pick out," Pedro whispered softly, opening the back door and dragging Karen inside. He closed the door and locked it. "But in this instance…this very special situation…I think brains over beauty is essential."

Karen didn't understand why she wasn't dead…she'd read the autopsy reports…heard tale after tale about how these women were all overdosed on heroin and their deaths happened almost instantly. So why wasn't she dead? However, her body felt entirely too warm, entirely too limp and lethargic. She just could not make her muscles do what she needed them to. What the hell had he given her?

Pepe dragged Karen up the stairs, her body thumping unceremoniously behind him. He dragged her into the second bedroom, the one where Phelps had been working…her eyes widened just slightly when she saw her partner. He was slumped in a corner, huge gash in his head, blood gushing from the wound. He was blissfully unconscious.

The lucky bastard.

Pepe dumped her on the floor and she tried unsuccessfully to make her body move. Pepe quickly picked up another syringe and stabbed it in the side of her neck. A groan escaped her lips, and a wave of relaxation washed over her. Now what had he done?

"We don't have long bitch," Pepe growled, picking her up and dumping her on the bed. "But you're going to talk. I want to know where you got my name from?"

Fisher blinked, consciousness beginning to fade. Pepe shook her hard, her neck popping from the whiplash type movements. "NAME!"

Fisher stared up at him, knowing she shouldn't tell…should never tell…another wave of relaxation washed over her.

Pepe leaned down and gave her a smooth smile. "If you give me the name I'll let you live."

Karen felt her eyes crossing and slowly sliding shut. She wasn't going to be conscious for much longer. He shook her again and it seemed to knock a name in her head loose.

"Gibbbbbbbsssss," she slurred softly.

Pepe dropped her back on the bed. He turned and picked up a small vial and another syringe. He loaded it full of the potent heroin, and turned back to her. She shook her head weakly.

"Y-youuuu s-saiddd…"

"I said I'd let you live," Pedro Hernandez said, smiling evilly down on his victim. "I never said how long."

TBC!


	24. The Promised Land

**Warning: Cliffhanger!  
><strong>**Warning 2: We're checking in on Senior…**

_Thanks as always to my wonderful beta, Gotgoats, for all your help (especially with the cliffhanger)! You are amazing! I Love you!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 24: The Promised Land**

Jethro pulled into the drive at their temporary home and glanced in the rearview mirror. Tony was sound asleep, having only barely opened his eyes when he'd been lifted into his booster seat. He put the car in park and quietly got out. Jethro pulled out the wheelchair and carefully settled his boy into it. Tony's head rolled forward and he didn't stir. Jethro had given him the tylenol/ibuprofen combination at bedtime, as Ducky had suggested. Tony seemed to be pain-free when he woke up in the middle of the night, but Jethro knew that sometimes his migraines would go away temporarily, only to rear their ugly heads again when Tony least expected it.

It made Jethro hate Senior a little more every time it happened.

Jethro carefully guided Tony's chair into the house, making sure to close and lock the door securely once they were inside. His gut was tingling…he couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he just had one of those feelings like something was about to happen. Something bad.

He tucked Tony into bed and quickly walked through the house, double checking every room to make sure that they were the only ones in the house. Jethro didn't like to have his service weapon out where the kids could get to it—even though they'd been adamantly taught to never ever touch it—but tonight Jethro put it on the nightstand. His gut wasn't calming in the slightest, and he wondered if it was just a residual anxiety leftover from worrying about Gabby, trying to figure out who the killer was and how he'd not picked up on it, and missing his girls.

Jethro laid down on the bed with Tony, the child immediately snuggling close to him—as well as he could with his leg still in the external fixator. The young father sighed in the dark. Tony had physical therapy tomorrow afternoon…and after that he had an appointment with Dr. Trexler to see about getting the external fixator off. Jethro figured that was going to be a pretty painful process for Tony, and he dreaded the additional pain his son would experience. He lay there thinking of a day when Tony wouldn't have any pain, when he could be freed from his broken little body and able to play and run and have fun with other children.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

xxx

Agent Fisher's eyes had dimmed by the time Hernandez removed the needle from her neck. She'd gasped and moaned beautifully just before she'd taken her final breath. Pedro dropped the needle on her chest—wanting to make sure no one missed it when they found her. He wasn't going to move her—she didn't deserve a place in his sandbox either. That was a special place—it was sacred and saved only for the special, beautiful girls who had made killing so much fun. People like Agent Fisher here…they were only dead because it was necessary. He couldn't help but smile, though, as he glanced down at her prone form, staring sightlessly at the ceiling, his new target's name on her dying lips. At least the bitch had gotten a taste of what true fear was, just before he'd stripped her of the ability to experience any emotions at all.

Next, Pedro turned his attention to Agent Phelps. He knelt next to the man and looked at him. He was young—only a bit older than Pedro himself. His head was horribly disfigured, thanks to Pedro's anger and the handiness of a good hammer. It was quite obvious that if the man survived, he'd never be able to see out of his left eye again. Pedro didn't honestly care if the man was alive or dead, but he checked his pulse, just to see. It was absolutely necessary, after all, for a good serial killer to know how many people he'd actually killed. Much to his dismay, he felt the light thumping of a pulse beneath his fingers. He knew one more hit would likely take care of that, but judging from the looks of things, Phelps likely wouldn't make it anyway. It would make a nice statement to Agent Lange too, he thought. He knew he was taking a risk, murdering these two so blatantly and leaving absolutely no doubt to be had that he was, in fact, the Sandbox Slayer, and that he was guilty of everything he'd been suspected of.

But he didn't want to make it too easy for anyone to find him.

Pedro stood up and grabbed the box of vials out of the closet. He'd already loaded another couple of the boxes into his car earlier—after he'd dumped Gabby. He walked down the stairs carrying the box and sighed. Gabby. She'd somehow managed to survive, though Pedro had been certain the bitch was dead. He knew that she'd be surrounded by guards now, and there would be no way to get to her. He also knew that he couldn't risk being recognized or picked up at this point—not with two dead LEOs on his hands, and the possibility of a third. They'd fry him for sure if they got him. To get Gabby now would mean that he would have to either blow up the hospital, or manage to pull off a drive-by shooting later…neither of those sounded like good options. It wasn't his style. There were too many ways for things to go wrong there. The margin of error was too great.

Pedro was not a fan of sloppy murders. After all, he was an artist at his craft.

The Marine Sergeant went back inside and carefully locked up the house, leaving it looking as though he'd gone out for the evening. He backed out of the driveway in the beat up blue Chevy sedan, and pulled away. He cut down a side road and wove his way around the base, taking care to use roads that didn't typically have a lot of traffic. He found the back gate to the base and flashed his ID as he left. The guard on duty smiled and waved, not having gotten out of his chair to look closely at the ID or the driver. Marines were coming and going all the time—and this one had his badge so he was fine—no threat at all. If the guard would have looked though, he would have seen that Pedro was holding up a gift card to the local drug store. He'd left all of his identification in the house.

He was the biggest threat on base at that moment, and unfortunately, it hadn't taken even a stroke of genius to get past the guards without question. He'd merely driven right by.

Pedro smiled as he left the base and snickered as the lights in his rearview mirror faded to pinpoints. He headed for the highway and pulled onto the entrance ramp without a backward glance. Now was not the time to go after Gibbs. There would be time for that later. Now there were too many people swarming, and his name appeared too readily on everyone's lips. No, now was not the time to exact his revenge. He needed to think about it, plan it carefully, really make it count.

He needed to give everyone the opportunity to forget about him.

One day, he'd make Gibbs and his family pay for what they'd done to Pedro.

One day he would have his revenge.

He pointed the car south and headed for the Mexico border. He drove sedately, carefully adhering to all of the speed and traffic laws. He wouldn't perform sloppy murders, and he wouldn't get caught for something stupid like speeding, either. Letting out a happy sigh, proud of his accomplishments, and his escape, Pedro flipped on the radio, listening to the Golden Oldies station as he headed for the Promised Land.

xxx

Hetty and Mike pulled up to the house with several military police cars behind them. They drew their weapons and after calling out for Hernandez to come out of the house, divided into two teams and decided to storm the house. Hetty would lead one team in the front of the house, while Mike would head up the team that was going around back. They knew that something had gone wrong at the house because after Hetty had hung up with Agent Fisher, she called her back to tell her that they were bringing backup, but there had been no answer.

Mike led his team of four around the back of the house. He stepped up onto the porch and frowned when he saw the discarded phone on the wooden floor. He pulled on a latex glove and picked it up. He flipped it open and frowned. "I found Agent Fisher's phone," he muttered softly into his com. "She must have been taken inside the house."

"_Goddammit," _Hetty muttered.

Mike glanced at the MP who was picking the backdoor's lock. "Wait for the signal," he instructed with a stage whisper.

A moment later Hetty's voice echoed through the com. _"Make entry," _she said.

Mike signaled the others with his fingers that it was time to go. They entered the house and began clearing it room by room, the other team entering through the front door and meeting them at the stairway. There was no basement in these houses, so they ascended the stairs, covering each other's backs, and it didn't take them long to reach the second floor.

Hetty knew from Gabby's statement earlier that the second floor was where she'd seen the drugs. "Go carefully," Hetty murmured as they began moving slowly down the hall.

They cleared the first bedroom, and moved on to the bathroom where Mike paused. "He was under the sink here looking for something," he said softly. "There's a toolbox under here and the door is open."

Hetty nodded and they continued to the second bedroom. The door was closed. Hetty turned the knob and found it locked. The door wouldn't budge. "Pedro Hernandez. This is NCIS and the Military Police. Unlock the door and put your hands on your head," Hetty called.

Nothing. There was no sound.

Hetty let out a quiet sigh and moved back from the door. She glanced at Mike and nodded briefly. Mike took two steps forward and kicked the door with all the force he had. A round of gasps filled his ears as the other officers took in the sight before him.

The sight behind the door that night would haunt Mike Franks and Henrietta Lange for decades to come.

xxx

Gibbs was surprised when Tony woke up before 9am the next morning. He'd been certain, with the migraine and the trip to the hospital in the middle of the night, that the boy would sleep much later. Jethro helped Tony get dressed and then they ate breakfast together. Once breakfast was finished, Jethro and Tony worked together to load the dishwasher—Jethro rinsing off the dishes and passing them to Tony in the wheelchair who then placed the dishes in the dishwasher.

Tony was a rare child—in more ways than one, of course—specifically because he enjoyed cleaning so much. He wasn't really obsessive with it, but he was absolutely meticulous. He took the task of keeping his room clean very seriously. Each toy was carefully cataloged and had its own special place. Jethro and Shannon thought this was because Tony hadn't had anything to call his own for so long, that he was concerned about losing things now that he did have some stuff. Jethro had built him a wonderful toy chest for all of his trucks and cars to go inside, and Shannon had used her label maker to help Tony carefully label his shelves and drawers so he could always find the things he needed. The child was excited to get to move back to his house "any day now, Gibbs," where he would have his toys and his room back.

Once they were finished with their chores, Tony asked if they could watch a movie on tv. They had a couple of hours to kill before it was time to head to Tony's appointments, so Jethro thought watching a movie sounded ok. It would keep Tony still and give him a chance to rest a bit more before the arduous physical therapy that was coming up. Jethro handed Tony the remote to the television and told him to find them something to watch. This was another way Tony was rare. Instead of being addicted to cartoons—the rascally animals, the clueless hunters, or the always brave superheroes from the comic books—Tony was hopelessly hooked on black and white movies. He loved the sweeping epic romances, the crafty and cunning detective thrillers, the historical movies—all of them. Jethro hadn't seen Tony watch one that he hadn't absolutely adored.

Tony knew that The Classic Movie channel was on channel 29 and quickly found the 2 and 9 buttons on the remote. His eyes immediately lit up when he recognized a film that Jethro did not recognize—obviously one that he'd watched before at some point.

"Do you like this one?" Jethro wanted to know.

Tony nodded eagerly. "It is one of my bestest fav'rites!" he exclaimed. "It called A-filler-delphier 'tory."

"The Philadelphia Story, eh?" Jethro said, settling down on the couch beside his boy. They enjoyed quiet moments like this as much as they enjoyed the more exciting playful moments of other times. He began taking in the dialogue and characters of the movies, watching his son almost as much as he watched the movie, both of them holding his attention.

"It got my fav'rite ack-triss innit," Tony exclaimed when a beautiful dark haired woman stepped on to the screen. "Kat'rine Harpburn! She a prettiest lady evers. Well a'cept for Mommy."

"Katherine Hepburn," Jethro murmured softly, agreeing with Tony that she was pretty. He also agreed that Mommy was prettier.

As the story continued playing on the screen, Tony leaned closer and closer to Jethro until he finally settled fully against his side, cautiously at first (but that was more out of habit than fear), and he smiled when Jethro dropped a gentle arm over his shoulders, squeezing gently. Tony looked up at him and when Jethro smiled down at him, smiled a snaggle-toothed smile right back at him.

xxx

Anthony DiNozzo Sr. was recovering nicely from all of the injuries he'd sustained when he was attacked several weeks earlier. He was on light chore duty around the prison, and was emptying wastepaper baskets in the offices when he overheard the phone call come in from Anne Joseph about him. He moved suddenly slower, trying to listen to every word that was being spoken.

Turned out Tony, the little bastard, was concerned about him. Wanted to make sure he was safe and that people were taking care of him.

"Fuckin' pansy," Senior muttered under his breath. He shoved a pile of papers into the trash bag and listened to himself.

Senior listened to the rest of the one sided conversation. He heard the bitch behind the desk tell the caller that Senior was doing just fine, and that he'd recently been injured but was recovering well and would be back to normal soon.

People on light chore duty were not supervised as closely as other prisoners around were. Most of them were trustees, prisoners who had earned the trust and respect of the guards, who were not considered to be a flight risk or a dangerous threat. Senior was supposed to have a guard on him, but the guy was on his lunch break, having given very specific orders to Senior to stay in these offices, clean them from top to bottom, and not cause any trouble during the hour he was gone. Senior listened as the woman talking on the phone hung up the receiver and picked up her keys. She walked out of her office without a backward glance, obviously overlooking the fact that Senior was still in the office.

Glancing around, realizing he was alone, Senior smiled. He walked over to the deskchair and seated himself in it regally. It'd been a while since he'd sat in such a comfortable chair. He spun a couple of circles, before his eyes rested on the phone.

Anger washed over him as he thought about the phone call that had been about him. He thought about his son—the little shit who was still working hard to show his father up, make him look bad, spread lies about him. The anger became irrational the more he thought about it, and before he even realized what he was doing, he'd snatched up the phone. He'd memorized the number for the Gibbs home months before—one never knew when they'd need such information—and he dialed the number.

The phone rang a couple of times in his ear before it was answered. "Yello!" a cheerful, not-Leroy Jethro Gibbs-voice answered. Senior wondered if he had the wrong number.

"Uh…is this the Gibbs household?" he asked pleasantly, using his best businessman-like voice.

"It is. But they ain't here right now. We're workin' on the house after the earthquake and they're stayin' somewhere else."

"You wouldn't happen to know the number of the place where they are staying would you? It is imperative that I reach them."

"Oh sure man, no problem," the voice said. Without a blink, he rattled off the phone number to the safe house.

Senior smiled darkly and thanked the man for his assistance. "I appreciate your assistance," Senior said. "Have a nice day."

"You too buddy!"

Senior hung up the phone and smiled. It was a long shot, to get in touch with Tony. But he wanted to take that chance—he needed to reassert his control over the sniveling little asshole. He, Anthony DiNozzo Sr. was Little Tony's father, and it would do the little bastard well to remember that.

xxx

Just as the movie was ending, Jethro's cell phone rang. He ruffled Tony's hair. "I'm going to run outside and check the mail, ok?" he said softly.

Tony nodded and watched as Jethro flipped the phone open and headed out the front door. He turned his attention back to the tv and startled when the phone on the table suddenly rang. He stared at it. He didn't know if he should answer it. A moment later it stopped ringing. Tony glanced out the door and saw that Jethro was talking to one of the agents parked outside. The phone suddenly started ringing again.

Tony reached out a hand and picked up the phone.

xxx

"_H-Hello?"_

Senior's eyes lit up when he heard his child's voice on the phone. He took a deep breath and let him have it.

xxx

Jethro walked back inside the house and immediately had the sense that something was wrong. He glanced around and frowned when he saw that Tony was on the phone. He frowned even more when he saw the look on his child's face.

Barely masked horror adorned his features—his pale and chalky features were complemented by bright red anger-flushed cheeks. Jethro moved in and reached for the phone, but Tony jerked away. The child's mouth dropped open suddenly, and before Jethro could react Tony began speaking—yelling—into the phone. Jethro had never heard him speak so loudly or angrily before.

"NO! YOU IS WRONG! MY JETHRO IS MY DADDY NOW AN' HE LOVES ME LOTS AND SO DOES MY NEW MOMMY! IT IS YOUR FAULT YOU HURTED ALL OF US YOU MEAN-DADDY YOU ARE A BAD MAN AND I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW YOU ANYMORE! I DO NOT LIKE YOU! YOU HURTED ME—YOU SHOOTED ME INNA EYE WITH A GUN! YOU TRIED A MAKE ME GO A HEAVEN AND LEAVE MY NEW FAM'LY! YOU MEAN-DADDY YOU KILLED A OTHER MAN AN' YOU MAKED HIM GO A HEAVEN! YOU A BAD MAN AND I HATE YOU! LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU NEVERS LOVED ME! YOU'S ALWAYS LOCKED-ED ME INNA BOX INNA GARAGE AND LEAVED ME THERES ALL BY MYSELF! LEAVE ME ALONE I DO NOT WANT A TALK A YOU EVERS AGAIN! I TAKE IT BACK WHEN I SAID I WAS WORRIED FOR YOU. I HOPE THEY LEAVE YOU INNA TIME OUT FOREVER AND NEVER LET YOU GO. YOU A BAD MAN. YOU A MEAN DADDY!"

Tony threw the phone—literally pitched it across the room—as hard as he could as soon as he finished ranting at his biological father. Jethro's eyes widened and he grabbed the phone off the floor. By the time he lifted it to his ear, there was a dial tone. Senior had hung up.

Jethro turned his attention to Tony. The child was shaking, nearly vibrating from the strong emotions that he was experiencing. His face was red and angry tears streaked his cheeks and his jaw was clenched so tightly Jethro worried there may be damage to his teeth.

One thing was certain. The calm from the morning had been entirely disrupted. Jethro didn't need to ask who'd been on the phone. Tony'd made that quite clear for him. He didn't know how Senior had gotten the number to this house, or even how he'd gotten to a phone. Jethro knew he needed to figure that out, but right now his number one priority was Tony.

"Ok Tony take it easy I gotcha," Jethro said softly. He lifted Tony into his lap and hugged him close as his child buried his face into his chest. "I gotcha son. You're ok. It's ok. He can't get you here."

Tony didn't respond and a moment later Jethro's eyebrows raised when he felt a curiously warm wetness seeping into his pants. Tony was crying so hard he was gasping, and hadn't yet noticed that he'd wet himself. "Shhhh Tony, just relax son. He isn't going to get you. He can't hurt you. You're safe. Daddy's here. I've got you."

Tony suddenly pulled his face up and gasped hard. He glanced in horror down at his lap and turned a tearful, shocked gaze up to Jethro. "Ohhhh…D-Dadd-dyy…I-I…I sorry," Tony whispered. "I…I-I d-didn't-t m-mean t-t-to." He began trying to move off of Jethro's lap, but his daddy held him still.

"Hey," Jethro murmured in his ear. "You know it's alright if that happens. And you're upset. That makes it harder to control. You're fine Tony. Just calm down. Daddy's got you. You're safe. Let's go clean up a bit, yeah?"

Tony sniffled and buried his head with a thunk against Jethro's chest. Jethro swore war on Senior. He'd kill the bastard if he was ever given the opportunity. The young father watched sadly as his child lifted a hand to his head, digging the heel of his palm into his eye suddenly with a soft, muffled groan of pain.

"Owww," Tony whimpered, barely making a sound. He buried his face into the side of Jethro's neck.

Jethro moved his hand slowly up Tony's back to the back of his neck and frowned when he felt the tension in the muscles there. He began rubbing his neck gently, trying to ease some of his child's suffering. "Shhhh, take it easy," Jethro whispered. "Daddy's got you."

Tony gagged, his little body tightening up and Jethro scooped him up and ran for the bathroom. Jethro helped his son balance on one foot, his healing leg barely held off the floor, as Tony retched and heaved, gagging and choking, and vomiting violently into the toilet. Finally the horrible retching stopped and he took several deep, gasping breaths.

Just as Jethro let out a soft sigh of relief, Tony suddenly let out a high pitched, ear splitting screech of pain.

"Heyyyy," Jethro murmured. "Shhhh it's alright baby boy…shhhh…it's ok…"

Tony slammed the heel of his hand into his injured eye so hard that it frightened Jethro. "Hey! Easy!" he exclaimed in surprise. Tony's other hand suddenly dug into his other eye. Jethro reached over and turned off the light, knowing that light on a migraine is like pouring hot acid onto the eyeballs.

"There we go," Jethro murmured. Still Tony screamed though. His legs suddenly buckled, and Jethro had to work quickly to get Tony seated on the floor without him hurting his leg. He knelt in front of his boy, and cupped his face lightly in his hands. "Look at me Tony," he murmured. "Look at Daddy."

"Da-da-daaaaaaa-d-d-deeeee," Tony wailed. "M-mine eyeeeeees hu-hu-hurrrrrtingggg!" He let out another screech of pain, which made his head hurt worse, which made his eyes hurt worse, which made him screech in pain. The cycle was instantly obvious to Jethro. He cupped his little one's face a little more firmly, trying to not jostle him in an effort to minimize the migraine in any way he could.

Finally Tony blinked his eyes open at his daddy. Jethro's gut clenched and he didn't do a very good job of masking the horror on his face. "Ohhhh," Jethro whispered. "Ohhhh God. Ok. Uh. I gotta call you an ambulance Tony." He carefully helped his child to lay down on the floor and tucked a towel under his head. He pulled out his phone and he dialed.

_911 What is your emergency?_

"I need an ambulance for my son!" Jethro exclaimed, fairly panicking. Tony was still screeching in pain and was now writhing on the floor. He quickly rattled off the address.

_Sir who is the ambulance for?_

"My son. Oh god it's for my son. Hurry! Please you have to help him! He's already got trouble with his eye…he doesn't need this!"

_Sir can you tell me what happened?_

"QUIT CALLING ME SIR!" Jethro roared. He took a deep breath. "He's…it's his…his eyes," Jethro said, horrific wonder filling his tone. "He…he got upset…and then he threw up…and now his eyes…his eyes are…" he choked off, unable to finish.

_Tell me about his eyes please._

"They're bleeding," Jethro whispered. "Oh God please hurry."

TBC…


	25. Urgency

Author's Note: Special shout out to all of my wonderful anonymous reviewers. I wish I could respond to each of you individually. Thanks also to all my other readers and commenters—I appreciate all of your wonderful support.

_Thanks as always to my fantastically awesome beta reader, Gotgoats, for all of her help with this chapter! You're amazing! I love you!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 25: Urgency**

"What on earth are you doing?!"

Senior dropped the phone back on the receiver, just as the women whose office he was occupying stepped back inside. He looked at her contritely, but didn't speak.

"I asked you a question!" The woman hit a button on the wall. A moment later a guard appeared. "This prisoner was left unattended by his guard in the office. I didn't realize until I headed out that he was alone, so I came back. When I came back in he was on the phone with someone. And now he isn't speaking."

The guard—who Senior recognized from his time in the prison—looked disdainfully at him. "You causin' trouble, Asshole?" he sneered.

Senior, rather than answering, decided he was going to try and make a run for it. He ducked left and then ran for the door. Unfortunately, the guard tackled him to the ground. Senior groaned and harrumphed under the bulky weight of the man. "Think you're gonna cause trouble bitch? Cause I got news for you—" he snapped handcuffs on Senior. "You don't get to cause trouble anymore." Senior reared his head back, catching the man with a glancing blow to his nose.

"Owww! Damn you!" The guard glanced over his shoulder. "I need backup," he growled at the woman. "Hit the button again!" The man was practically laying on Senior, trying to hold him down. At that moment though, Senior panicked—suddenly wracked with memories of being attacked. He let out a pained yell and began struggling even harder. The guard took a foot to his groin and bit his lip trying to not lose his focus. Senior reared back again, nearly hitting the guard again, only to find himself pinned to the floor, an angry forearm pressing on the back of his neck.

"Who'd you call asshole?" the guard panted in his ear. Everyone in the building knew who Senior was and why he was in the prison. "You didn't call your boy did you?" Senior huffed out a choked laugh and smiled darkly.

Another guard rushed up and together, the two burly guards hauled Senior to his feet. "Solitary?" one of them asked. "Solitary," the other confirmed. "We'll schedule a disciplinary hearing for him." The first guard whacked Senior hard on the back of the head several times with his hand. "Hear that shithead?" he growled. "You're gonna go sit in time out for a bit til you can get your sorry ass under control. We'll see what the disciplinary board has to say about what you did."

Senior struggled and groaned, snarling, spitting, even trying to bite the guard at one point. At the entrance to the solitary confinement area of the building, the guard's eyes widened when he saw the struggling man being led down to him.

"Needa tank," the second guard panted. "This one's outta control. Losing it."

The guard quickly opened one of the confinement cells and the other two guards slung Senior inside. They removed his handcuffs and slammed the door in his face. "We'll schedule your disciplinary hearing for you," the first guard sneered. "Until then you aren't fit company to be around anyone. You can stay here and snarl and fight yourself all you want. When you get tired out we'll see how you're doing. One thing you're gonna learn in this place, bitch," the guard smiled through the slot in the door. "You aren't in charge here. You don't run the show. You don't get to prance around and do what you want. And if we gotta leave you in here til you rot in order for you to figure it out, then that's what we'll do."

With that, the guard slid the slot in the door shut, and Senior was alone.

The young man got to his feet slowly. He paced the length of the room and then the width and figured out he was in a space about 8 feet long and about 4 feet wide. There was a metal slab that he assumed was supposed to be a bed, and a small toilet that he'd have to squat to reach. That's all there was in the room. There wasn't even a blanket.

Senior paced around the room, angry that he'd been caught, angrier that he had been thrown in here. But as he paced he realized something. In here Moose couldn't get to him. Neither could Ace or his cronies. Perhaps this was better. He was safer in here. Sure it was kind of dark, and the room wasn't very comfortable, but…but no one would attack him here. Here he could sit patiently and wait for his sentence to be over.

With a sigh, he settled on the metal slab, and drifted off into a relaxed sleep for the first time since he'd been incarcerated.

xxx

Shannon sat on a rock on the edge of the creek, watching Kelly skipping from stone to stone, sipping on the Dr. Pepper that she'd picked up at Jackson's store earlier. Behind her, JoAnne was sitting on a blanket, propped up and reading a book, enjoying the peaceful afternoon. Jackson would be joining them soon and they were going out for dinner.

She heard a cell phone begin to ring behind her, and heard her mother fumbling for it in the bag they'd brought along. "Shannon," her mother called. "It's yours. It's Jethro."

Quick as a flash, Kelly was out of the creek and racing for the phone. "Daddy!" she squealed, reaching for the phone.

"Let me answer it first, then you can talk to Daddy," Shannon said. She opened her phone and hit the button to answer it. "Hi Honey!"

She listened for a moment, her face paling as her husband told her what he knew of the situation back in California. Tony had unwittingly answered a phone call from Senior, become very upset, triggered a migraine, and now they were on their way to the hospital because Tony's eyes were bleeding. Shannon stood up and began gathering their things, motioning for everyone to come on that they had to leave.

"_Shannon I have to go now, the doctor is here. I…" _there was a quiet sigh on the end of the line. _"I need you to come home," _Jethro whispered. _"It…it's bad. It's too much. I just… I need you."_

"I'll be on the next flight out," Shannon promised. She shook her head at the protests from her mother and daughter and slapped a hand over her ear. "Keep me posted about what the doctor says. I'll let you know my flight information. I'll call you right back. I love you."

She listened for a moment more then snapped her phone shut. "Take me to the airport, Mother," she instructed. "I have to go to California right away."

"But Mommy," Kelly said. "We're going to dinner!"

"You're going to go to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa without me this time, Angel," Shannon said. "Little Tony's father called him and now he's got to go to the hospital."

"Why does he hafta go to the hospital if he only talked to him on the phone?" Kelly wanted to know.

"Oh sweetheart it's because he got too upset. Remember how the doctor said he couldn't get too upset or angry?" Kelly nodded. "Well he got too upset, and now he needs to go to the hospital to make sure he's ok."

"Shannon is he alright?" JoAnne wanted to know. She was weaving in and out of traffic. "What about your things? Do you want to swing by my house and—"

"I don't have time to get my things together," Shannon said. "If you wouldn't mind to bring my bag home to me when you all fly out in a few days, that'd be wonderful. Right now I need to get home. My boys need me."

JoAnne nodded silently, knowing that if Jethro had called and asked for help then the situation must be very bad and out of control. JoAnne and Jethro didn't always see eye to eye, but she knew that he didn't make requests like this lightly, and knew that when the safety of their children was at stake he always made the best decisions he could. JoAnne pointed the car for the airport without any further discussion.

"I hope I can trade in my ticket," Shannon said breathlessly.

"If you can't, darling, don't worry about it," JoAnne said. "I'll cover it. It's going to be alright, but you need to calm down."

Shannon turned and stared at her mother, angry for a split second, before she realized that her mother was right. She did need to calm down. She wouldn't be doing anyone any good if she was flying off the handle and losing her cool like this—especially in front of Tony. Tony was going to need her to be strong for him.

God only knew what damage that bastard Senior had done this time.

xxx

Jethro paced the waiting room of the Emergency Room like a caged animal. He'd ridden to the hospital with Tony in the ambulance, but once they'd arrived he'd been relegated to the waiting room and hadn't heard a word since they arrived about how Tony was doing. He'd managed to let the ER doctor on duty know who Tony's ophthalmologist was, and the doctor had assured him that they would get in touch with Dr. Kristopher.

Suddenly the door to the back of the ER opened and a nurse in purple scrubs stepped through. Jethro recognized her as one of the nurses that had been with Tony when he'd been pushed out.

"Family for Tony Gibbs?"

"Me!" Jethro called, "That's me! How is he?"

"Come with me, Sir," the nurse said. She led the way down the winding path of hallways to the cubicle containing his son. "We need your help," she said quietly. "He's quite upset, and the doctor needs to check his eyes. We've confirmed that he has a migraine, but we need to examine his eyes to make sure there is no permanent damage."

"Why are they bleeding? What's happening to him!"

Dr. Kristopher stepped out of the cubicle. "Mr. Gibbs," he said soothingly, "calm down and I'll explain everything. I know this is unexpected and frightening."

Gibbs leaned back against the wall, a sound of relief escaping his throat when he recognized Tony's eye specialist. "What are you doing here? Thought you were in LA," he croaked.

"You caught me on a lucky day. I was down here checking another patient of mine when Tony came in."

"Is he going to be alright?" Jethro asked quietly. He knew he wasn't to blame for this happening, but he couldn't help but feel like he should have done _something._

"It looks like Tony has developed a condition called 'Subconjunctival Hemorrhage.' Basically that means he has busted blood vessels in his eye."

"Busted blood vessels…so kind of like a bruise?" Jethro asked. He liked this doctor. He didn't talk to Jethro like he was an idiot, and he explained things patiently and in language he could understand when he asked questions.

"Think of it more as blood blisters," Dr. Kristopher said.

Jethro nodded. "The nurse said you need my help…what can I do?"

"Well he's understandably frightened. So we're hoping you can help keep him calm."

Jethro nodded. "I can do that."

Dr. Kristopher smiled. "I thought as much. Follow me please."

Together the two men headed back into the cubicle. Jethro stopped just inside and looked at Tony for a minute. Dr. Kristopher gave him an encouraging nod. "Come on in," he said. "We're just getting Tony hooked up to an EKG so that we can keep an eye on his heart rate and blood pressure.

Tony was lying on the gurney, weakly batting his hands at the medical professionals working on him who were trying to get the EKG leads attached to him. Jethro could sense the fear rolling off of his boy and quickly moved to his side.

"Hey Buddy," Jethro whispered, moving in to Tony's line of sight.

"D-d-daddd-ddeeeee," Tony whimpered pitifully. "Hu-hu-hurtt-tesss."

"I know it hurts Sweetheart," Jethro said, bending and giving his small son a kiss on his forehead. "Gonna be alright though. You just relax. Daddy's here. And I'm not leaving you."

Dr. Kristopher picked up a brown bottle with a dropper cap. "Ok Tony we're going to put some drops in your eyes alright? I need to see how your eyes look on the inside and this will help your eyes to open wide for me. Your daddy's here though, and he's not leaving, so just squeeze his hands if you need to, but try and stay still. Won't take but a minute ok?"

Tony started to shake his head no, but the nurse at Tony's head gently put her hands on either side of Tony's head and held his head so he couldn't move it. The added pressure on his head, coupled with the migraine, and now the stinging drops caused Tony to panic, and his body writhed in pain and fear on the gurney. Jethro, for his part, was glad that Tony was strapped down so that he couldn't fall off of the gurney, because as much as he was struggling and writhing around, he surely would have fallen off without them. He struggled to hold onto Tony's hands as the little one's arms flailed in panic.

"Leggo leggo leggo," Tony groaned. "Hurtttesssss," he panted. "P-P-Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease Daddy make 'em lemme go owwwwww."

Dr. Kristopher got the drops into Tony's eyes and stood up straight. He nodded at the nurse to let him go and Tony began to sob and cry hysterically as soon as he was released. "Go 'way," he whimpered. He was tired and he hurt and he was scared and he just wanted everyone to leave him alone.

"We're going to give you a few minutes with your daddy while those drops start to work, Big Guy," Dr. Kristopher said softly. "I'll turn the lights down a bit in here so they don't hurt your eyes so much. Just try and relax." He motioned for the nurse to follow him out.

"Is it ok for him to move?"

"He needs to stay on the bed, but he can scoot over to make room for you or move up into your lap. More than that though, no. We'll be back soon," he said, and was gone.

Jethro immediately leaned over and rubbed his nose back and forth across Tony's. "Hey buddy," he whispered. "What can I do?"

"Duh-duh-d-daddd-ddyyyy," Tony moaned.

Jethro scooped him up in his arms and hugged him close. He sat down on the gurney and cradled his son carefully in his lap. "I got you now," he whispered softly. "And Mommy's on her way and will be here soon too. Just try and relax baby boy, you're gonna be ok."

"Why…why my m-mean-d-daddy h-hafta c-call?"

Jethro felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket and ignored it. He knew if it was Shannon she would leave a message. If it was anyone else they didn't matter. Tony had his full, undivided attention.

"I don't know Tony," Jethro said softly. "But we'll make sure he doesn't call you ever again ok? We're going to keep you safe." _If I have to kill the dirty sonofabitch myself to do it._

xxx

Shannon was thrilled. She arrived at the airport only an hour earlier and was able to grab the last available seat on the next flight to Los Angeles, leaving in only 35 minutes. She was now seated in her spot, fingers drumming nervously on her leg while the plane taxied down the runway. She'd called Jethro to let him know that she had gotten a quick flight, but he hadn't answered. She'd patiently left him a voicemail message, letting him know about departure and landing times, then hung up and called up her friend Myra Tyler. Myra was Kelly's best friend Maddie's mother, and they lived next door to each other.

She explained the situation to Myra, who was immediately concerned for everyone involved. Shannon asked, albeit hesitantly, if she could come up to LA and pick her up at the airport and bring her home. She'd need to get the car. She figured Jethro had ridden to the hospital in the ambulance with Tony and wouldn't have any mode of transportation there. Myra readily agreed. Shannon's flight was taking off at 5:20pm and she was headed for the O'hare Airport in Chicago. There she would have a 40 minute layover—just enough time to pee, call Jethro and make it to her next flight that took off at 7:00. The flight to LA would take just over two hours—she would land at 9:10pm. Really the flight was going to be surprisingly easy—especially with the lack of luggage.

She wracked her brain as the plane lifted off, trying to think of all of the possible things that could be wrong with Tony. Shannon quickly decided that thinking along those lines would do nothing but make her worry more and make her feel more helpless than she already did. She hated to leave Kelly so suddenly like she did, but hearing the quiet pain and fear in Jethro's tone…she'd had no other choice.

There was one thing Shannon knew for certain though. One thing that never raised a question in her mind. She'd like the chance to kill that sonofabitch if she was ever given the opportunity.

She smiled out over the horizon as the jet rose above the cloudline. Oh yes. She'd like to shoot the bastard where he stands.

xxx

"Anthony."

Something stirred Anthony DiNozzo Sr. out of his sleep. He pushed himself up on an elbow, trying for a moment to figure out where he was. Oh yes. The solitary confinement cell. He squinted in the dark and looked around. He wondered what time it was. Was it day or night? How long had he slept? How long had he been in this cell?

"Annnnnnnthony."

Senior glanced around. Was someone screwing with him? Were they messing with his head? Seemed like he was hearing someone's voice calling his name. He shook his head and chuckled out loud to himself. He must be getting paranoid.

"Annnnnnthony. I am ashhhhhhamed of youuuuuu."

The voice was speaking a bit louder now, and Senior stood up and walked in the direction of the door. There was one small light in the cell, enough to partially banish the darkness and keep him wondering what time of day it actually was. Senior pounded on the door.

"Hey! This isn't funny! Whoever's piping voices into my cell needs to turn that shit off! I'm trying to sleep!"

There was no response from the outside. However, the sudden lack of voice in the cell was tremendously pleasing. He nodded in satisfaction and walked back over to the metal slab and laid down on it. Unfortunately, sleep was now elusive, and he laid n the dark staring at the ceiling. He recalled the fit his child had pitched on the telephone. How he'd yelled at him and fussed at him for being such a bad person. Obviously those were the lies being poured into his son's head by those bastards he lived with.

"Anthony." The voice was back and now whispering with a harsher tone. "Why did you do this to me? To us? To our family? Why did you do it?"

The voice sounded oddly familiar and Senior startled in the dark when he figured out who it sounded like.

"S…Sophie? Is that you?"

There was no response. Nothing. He laid awake in the dark room, waiting to hear the voice speak to him again, wondering if the voice was real, wondering if he was cracking up. Why would he be hearing Sophia's voice in the dark of the solitary confinement cell?

One thing became increasingly clear to Senior. There were worse things than being harassed and accosted by the idiots in the prison with him. He needed to get out of this solitary cell.

And he needed to do it quickly.

xxx

Dr. Kristopher gave Tony and Jethro about ten minutes to calm down and let the eye drops work before he returned to the room. By this point, Tony was reclined in Jethro's lap, and his eyes were closed to half mast. The child was still whimpering softly and clinging to his daddy, but was much calmer than he was a few minutes before.

"How are we doing?" the doctor asked softly.

Jethro glanced up at the doctor, slightly more relaxed than he had been a few minutes before, but not much. "He's a bit calmer," he said softly.

Dr. Kristopher nodded and turned the lights up. "Tony? I need to use the light and look in your eyes," he said softly.

Tony blinked and weakly struggled to focus his eyes on the doctor standing over him. "W-will i-it hu-hu-hurt?" Tony's voice was soft and tired.

"It might be uncomfortable because of your headache," Dr. Kristopher was honest. "I'll try to be fast ok? Hold still and it'll be fast ok?"

Tony shut his eyes. "Ok," he whispered. Bravely, he forced his eyes back open.

"Attaboy Tony," Jethro murmured softly, trying not to cause his boy anymore pain.

The doctor picked up his opthalmoscope and clicked on the light. He picked up Tony's hand and shined the light into his palm. "See the light," he said. "I'm going to use that to look inside your eyeball. It's just like we did in the office the day I checked your eyes out ok?"

"Y-Yeah," Tony whispered.

Dr. Kristopher nodded at Gibbs who wrapped one arm lightly over the top of Tony's arms to help him hold still. The doctor leaned in and gently pushed one eyelid open a bit farther than it would normally open and he moved in close to Tony's left eye, the light shining brightly down inside of it. Jethro's other hand was holding Tony's head gently and the child squirmed a bit and moaned in pain, but didn't try to move away or fight back.

As the doctor shifted to check Tony's other eye, the child suddenly recoiled and he vomited violently into the floor, having no warning that it was coming. Immediately his eyes widened at the mess. "S-sorry," he whispered, his fingers tightening instinctively into Jethro's shirt. "I-I s-sorrryyy."

"It's alright buddy," Dr. Kristopher said. "Messes happen. We'll clean it up. Let me take a look in that other eye really quick. It's the one I really need to see." Tony nodded fearfully and clenched his teeth as the doctor slid over and shined the super-bright light right into his hurt eye. Immediately it felt like his eyeball was on fire and he thought he might die it hurt so bad.

"O-oww-www," he whimpered.

"I know," Dr. Kristopher said. "I know I'm hurrying. I'm sorry. I know it hurts. I'm so sorry." But he'd seen something apparently, and he wasn't pulling back as fast on this eye as he'd done on Tony's other eye.

"Doc?"

Dr. Kristopher looked up at them. Tony gagged and this time the nurse was prepared and she held the plastic tray under his chin just in time to catch most of his mess.

"I'd like to do an MRI and a CT scan," Dr. Kristopher said. "Just to make sure I'm not missing anything."

Jethro nodded. Tony tensed in his lap and Jethro ran his hand lightly over Tony's tummy. "Doc…one question."

"Certainly."

"Can I go with him to the tests? He's understandably pretty scared—and I probably didn't help that by freaking out back at the house."

"Of course. You can sit right outside the machine even, and keep a hand on Tony's leg or foot while he's having the test. I'm going to give him something to help him relax a little more and feel a little better before we do these tests."

"One more question. What's that going to mean for his reconstructive surgery? He's got to have his eye socket rebuilt—he's due to start school in a month."

Dr. Kristopher nodded. "Let's get these test results back and we'll see what they say. I think we'll be able to proceed as planned. I want him on bed rest though, until the surgery. He's not going to feel like doing much as it is, but we need to keep his blood pressure as stable as possible, and we need him calm and resting."

"We can do that," Jethro agreed.

Dr. Kristopher nodded and pulled out a syringe. "I'm going to give him a very light painkiller. It will take the edge off of his headache and allow him to relax more fully during the MRI and CT Scan. I know both of those tests can be frightening, and we need for him to remain calm."

The doctor slid the needle into the IV port that had been put in Tony's hand in the ambulance. It was only a few short minutes before Tony grinned dopily up at Jethro for a moment then let out a soft sigh and melted into his daddy's lap. His eyes dropped back to half mast and the loose hold that he'd had on Jethro's hand slid away a bit. Jethro held him a little tighter and leaned down, pressing kiss after kiss to his forehead and temple. "I've got you," he whispered into his child's ear. "I've got you baby, I'm right here. Daddy's here."

Jethro carefully situated Tony on the gurney and an orderly appeared in the room. "We're ready to move him to radiology. Mr. Gibbs if you will accompany us." Jethro nodded. Dr. Kristopher smiled and pointed. "Good. Let's get this show on the road."

As they walked to radiology, Jethro's phone rang again, but once again, he ignored it. He figured Shannon would make plans for someone to pick her up at the airport. That or she'd rent a car. Either way was fine. He knew she would understand his inability to leave Tony's side, even for a second. They entered the Radiology Wing and Jethro followed the gurney until they were in the MRI lab. He watched as they lifted the sheet under Tony to move him. They quickly settled him on the sliding table and covered him with another sheet.

Jethro leaned over him and kissed him on the forehead. "Just go to sleep baby boy," he whispered when Tony's bleary gaze settled on him. His little eyes, blood-filled as they were, slowly began to slide shut. "I love you Tony," he whispered. He kept a hand on Tony's ankle as they slid Tony into the large plastic white MRI capsule. "Daddy's here," he whispered. "I'm right here."

xxx

Myra was waiting for Shannon at the gate at the airport in Los Angeles. They shared a quick hug and started towards the car when Shannon suddenly stopped.

"What is it honey?" Myra asked. "What's wrong?"

Shannon ran a hand over her forehead. "I don't know which hospital Tony's at. I don't know whether he's here in LA or if he's at the hospital down in Pendleton." She looked at her friend, concern wrinkling her eyes and forehead.

"Let's call the hospital. That way you can find out where he is."

"But if he's in LA then I'll still need to go back to Pendleton because I'm going to need a car, but that's so much extra driving…"

"If he's in LA then you can just rent a car here, Shannon," Myra said reasonably.

"I need to find a phone," Shannon said, looking around. "Why aren't there any phones in this place?"

Myra gently took Shannon's hand and guided her into the small restaurant inside the airport. She sat Shannon down at one of the tables, walked to the counter, and ordered a cup of coffee, a shot of bourbon, and a turkey club sandwich. It wasn't an ideal dinner as far as the health-conscious mothers were concerned, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She needed to get some food into her friend, and she needed to give her _something _that would both shock her system a bit and calm her down. Myra paid for the food and thanked the girl behind the counter.

A few moments later, Myra returned to her friend's side. "Here," she said. She added a large amount of cream and sugar to the coffee and told Shannon to take a gulp of it. Shannon complied, listening to her friend, going through the motions she was being directed through. She couldn't remember being so scared…except for the day when Tony was shot. But this…she wasn't even here…she didn't know what was going on…she didn't know where to find her boys.

Myra snatched the coffee cup back from Shannon and handed her the first half of sandwich. Shannon started eating while Myra pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the hospital at Pendleton, where she also worked, and asked to speak to the head nurse in the Emergency Department. She spoke quietly, asked a few questions, explained why she was asking, and less than three minutes later she hung up the phone, happy with the information she'd gotten.

Shannon, starving after missing dinner, had already devoured the first half of the turkey club and was greedily munching on the second half of sandwich. Myra set the cup of coffee down, dumped the shot of bourbon in it, and took the sandwich out of Shannon's hand.

"Knock it back," she said. "Don't sip it, drink it down."

Shannon gulped down the spiked coffee and let out a long breath once she was finished. "I haven't drank anything like that since college," Shannon giggled.

Myra picked up Shannon's purse and hooked her arm around her friend, handing her the half sandwich back. "Here," she said. "Keep eating and I'll take you to the hospital."

"Dunno which hospital," Shannon mumbled around the food in her mouth.

"Pendleton. I got the information. I'm going to take you straight to the hospital, and we'll figure out how to get you guys a car later. Right now you need to go to your boys."

Shannon stopped walking. "My boys," she whispered. "I need to call them!" She dug her cell phone out. She quickly dialed Jethro's number and was greatly disappointed when he didn't answer. "It's me, Jethro. I'm in LA. Myra's bringing me to the hospital. I love you. I'll see you in about an hour," she looked at the clock. "It's about 9:30." She closed her phone and looked around as though she was lost.

"C'mon Shannon," Myra said. "I just talked to the hospital. Tony's doing great. Jethro's with him and they're checking him out. We'll be there in about an hour. It's going to be alright."

Shannon looked at her friend with tears in her eyes. "But what if it isn't?" she whispered in the dark night. "What if he isn't? I can't…we can't lose our baby boy...we'd never…there'd be no coming back from that."

"You aren't going to lose him. Just relax."

"I don't even know what's wrong with him," Shannon whispered, tears dripping off the tip of her nose as she sniffled pitifully.

Myra dug into her glovebox and fished out a tissue. "Here Sweetie," she said. She kept one eye on the road and glanced at Shannon. "I promise that they said he's doing ok for now. They wouldn't tell me he was ok if he was dying. You know that."

Shannon nodded. "I know," she whispered.

Myra patted Shannon's knee and pressed the gas a little harder.

TBC…


	26. Epiphanies & Crack Ups

**Author's Note: **Be kind to Kelly in this chapter…keep in mind she is only 8 years old *grin*

_Thanks, as always, goes to my wonderful, fantastic, amazing, phenomenal beta reader, Gotgoats! You are awesome! I love you!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 26: Epiphanies & Cracking Up**

In between the MRI and the CT Scan, Jethro checked his voicemail messages. He was relieved to hear that his wife had landed earlier in LA and that she'd gotten Myra to pick her up and they were on their way now. He glanced through the window at Tony who was sound asleep. Dr. Kristopher stepped up next to him, looking through the same window.

"What'd you see when you looked in his eye?" Jethro asked softly, not taking his eye off of Tony. Dr. Kristopher hesitated and Jethro pinned him with a pointed stare. "Please don't lie to me. Just tell me—in English—what it was you saw. Because something got your attention—something was there that made you want to run all of these tests. What was it?"

Dr. Kristopher sighed. "I think I may have seen a blood clot in his eye."

Jethro's eyes widened. "Jesus," he breathed. "What does that mean for him?"

"Well it can mean a few different things. I'd rather wait until we determine if he actually has a blood clot before we discuss all of the possibilities."

"I'd rather you give me a rundown of the possible scenarios so I won't freak out on my kid again," Jethro said. "And my wife is on her way. I'd like to not freak out on her too."

The doctor nodded.

"Well there is the possibility that I didn't see a blood clot. If that's the case then we'll monitor his blood pressure and wait for his eyes to go back to normal. That usually happens within a couple of weeks. Maybe a month. If I did see the blood clot, then it could be several things. It could be a simple blood clot that has broken away from the area where we operated. That sometimes happens and doesn't usually cause much damage if any. Then there is the possibility that the blood clot could cause damage to Tony's vision. The blood clot could be evidence of a mini-stroke in his eye, or it could be the sign of a mini-stroke in his brain."

Jethro's eyes widened at the words. Stroke? Tony?

"He isn't behaving as though he's had a stroke though, Mr. Gibbs, so at this point I am cautiously optimistic that a stroke would be a worst case scenario. We're going to do the CT Scan in just a moment, and I think it, along with the MRI will both be conclusive for us. Tony's body is good at giving us the information we need to help him."

Jethro nodded. "How do you fix it if it's a blood clot?"

"We'll give him some medicine to thin his blood out. He'll feel yucky for a few days."

"Is he always going to have migraine headaches?"

"Most likely yes, but I am not a neurologist, so I can't say for sure."

Jethro sighed. Dr. Kristopher patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Let's get this next test started," he said. "Do you want to come or stay out here?"

"I'll come in," Jethro said, following the doctor. "I need to be near him. Promised him I'd stay with him. Doc…what do you think caused this?"

"I think…you said he got upset right?" Jethro nodded. "I think that when he got upset, it raised his blood pressure too much. When you have a migraine, it constricts the blood vessels in your head—part of why it hurts so badly. I think the constricted blood vessels along with the sudden raise in his blood pressure were both contributing factors to this."

Jethro sat down in the chair next to Tony while they got him ready for the CT Scan. He thought back over that moment when Tony had yelled so loudly and angrily on the phone. Senior. Jethro let out a long, angry puff of breath. Senior.

xxx

Shannon was much calmer by the time she reached the hospital. She and Myra had talked, and she'd finally processed Myra telling her that she thought Tony was mostly ok. When she and Myra walked into the hospital, the ER staff was all smiles, welcoming Shannon back to the hospital. Shannon quietly asked some of her friends if they knew where Little Tony and Jethro were. They checked the computer system and found out that Tony was in Radiology.

"I know if Tony's there, Jethro's not far away," Shannon said. "Myra if you need to go home, that's fine. I really appreciate all your help."

"Nah, the hubby's at home with Maddy tonight. They're having a Daddy-Daughter evening. I was on my own anyway. I can stay if you want me to."

Shannon reached out and took her friend's hand. "I'd like that," she whispered. "I think I need it."

Myra smiled. "Well then let's go find your boys."

xxx

They were surprised when they got to Radiology to find that Jethro wasn't in the waiting area. Myra walked up to the main desk in the Radiology wing and asked where Tony Gibbs was. The nurse told her friends that Tony was in CT Scan right now, and that his daddy was in with him. She told them that she'd let Jethro know they had arrived.

Shannon eased down into one of the faded pink chairs in the waiting room and immediately began picking at the knit fabric of the seat. Myra sat down next to her, her hands fidgeting nervously while they waited. Both of them were nurses in this hospital; both of them were comfortable here—it was almost a second home to them. But neither of them were used to being on this side of the flurry of activity. Neither of them were used to waiting for news on the ones they cared about.

After Tony fell down the stairs, Myra had taken a special shine to Tony. She brought cookies by every few days, brought books from the library and coloring books and pencils for him to draw with. She would occasionally sit and visit with Little Tony while Maddie and Kelly ran around outside. Now she was concerned for her young friend, and anxious to hear what had happened to him.

A few minutes later Jethro poked his head out of one of the doors on the hallway. "Thank God," he breathed and rushed over to where he saw Shannon sitting with Myra.

Shannon jumped to her feet and the two young parents met in a desperate hug. Shannon could feel Jethro trembling ever so slightly and she rubbed her hands soothingly up and down his back. They'd missed each other so much, and were absolutely devastated at the cause for their early reunion. Shannon couldn't get close enough to Jethro, burying her face in the side of his neck, pressing her body as tightly to his as she could. "How is he?" she whispered.

"He's sleeping," Jethro said softly. "They already did an MRI, now they're doing a CT Scan."

"Jethro what happened?" Shannon pulled back a bit and looked up at him, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

"We aren't sure yet. I went outside to check the mail and while I was getting the mail, the phone rang and Tony actually answered the phone." Shannon blinked in shock. Tony hated telephones. "It was his father, Shan. Somehow that sonofabitch managed to get hold of a phone, and he got the number to the safe house and he called and…and I don't know what he said to Tony, but you'd have been so proud of Tony honey. He told him off—told him how awful he was and how mean and horrible. Told him he never wanted to talk to him again. He was so angry though…he got so upset. He had a migraine last night, and his father calling just stirred it back up. He started throwing up and once he stopped he…his eyes…They were filled with blood, Shannon."

Shannon blinked again. "Filled with blood?"

"Yeah the doctor says it's a subcon…conjunction? No…some kind of subcon-something hemorrhage."

"A subconjunctival hemorrhage?"

"Yes! That's it! You're so smart Shannon I knew you'd know what I was talking about." Jethro smiled at her. "How bad is that?"

"Well…if that's all it is, then it isn't too serious," Shannon said. "They'll give him some medicine to control his blood pressure and in a couple of weeks his eyes will go back to normal. Not really too big of a deal, all things considering." She paused. "Why is he having the MRI and CT Scan?"

Jethro sank down into a chair, suddenly exhausted. "When Dr. Kristopher looked in his eyes…" he leaned forward and put his head in his hands.

"Jethro? Honey what is it?" Shannon sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Talk to me baby, what'd he say? What did he see?"

"He thinks he might have seen a blood clot," Jethro said quietly. "And if that's the case, then there's a chance that he actually had a mini stroke either in his eye or his brain."

"Oh wow," Myra breathed.

Next to him, Shannon was speechless. "Was he…is he having trouble with motor skills or anything? Was he slurring his words?"

"No, and the doctor said that even if he did have a stroke it was a very small one—it likely wouldn't have done that much damage," Jethro told her, relaying what the doctor said. "But…he said it has the potential to permanently affect his vision."

Shannon leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "Our poor baby," she whispered. Tears filled her eyes and she looked up at Jethro, anger in her features. "What's happening to Senior now?"

Jethro shook his head. "I don't know. I've been here with Tony, I…" he dropped his gaze. "I haven't had time to figure out what the hell that prison is doing. I couldn't leave him Shannon. I know we need to figure out what happened, but…God you oughta see him, he's so pitiful. I just couldn't make him do this alone."

"You were right to stay with him," Shannon said. "Maybe now we can figure out what happened." She took her husband's hand. "We're together," she whispered. "We're always stronger together."

Jethro nodded and leaned over, giving her a light kiss. "I love you Mrs. Gibbs," he said.

Shannon squeezed his hand and kissed him on the cheek. She leaned her forehead against his and looked in his eyes. "I love you too, Gunny."

xxx

Gabby blinked her eyes open slowly and was pleased to discover that she could, in fact, open both eyes now. It seemed as though the swelling that was previously holding her eye closed was down some. She knew that there had been vague periods of wakefulness over the past…how long?...where she had felt the cold pressure of an ice pack. She shifted a bit in bed and let out a soft groan as her entire body protested in pain.

"Hey easy!" a voice from beside her exclaimed.

Gabby froze. She didn't immediately recognize the voice. Slowly she turned her gaze towards her visitor and her good eye widened when she saw who was with her. A memory flashed through her brain, the image of a nice, gentle, caring man finding her in the dumpster and taking his coat off and covering her with it. "Guh…" she slurred, her jaw hurting, even from the slightest movement.

"Hey," the man said, his face spreading from a concerned frown into a relieved smile. "You doing ok? You remember who I am?"

"Guh…neeee," Gabby whispered.

"That's right," he patted her hand lightly. "Please. Call me Craig. I found you last night in the dumpster beside the police department. You've been here in the hospital since then. You…you asked me not to leave you," he said, his cheeks tinting pink. "So I hope you don't mind that I stayed. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"B-baayy-beee," Gabby moaned softly. "W-wheremy…bay…bee…" she looked around.

"I spoke with Agent Hetty Lange earlier," Madison said. "She's got your baby with her now. Your baby is safe and they're going to bring him here tomorrow so you can see him. It's late now, Gabby, after midnight. He's sleeping I'm sure."

Tears ran down Gabby's face and she began to cry quietly. Craig Madison couldn't explain why he suddenly felt so drawn to this woman, but every protective instinct in him rose to the fore and he lowered the rail of her bed. "C'mere," he said, carefully gathering her broken body up in his strong embrace. He brushed his fingers lightly over her hair as she began to cry harder, sobs beginning to shake her frame, as the realization of what all happened began to sink in for her. She reached out with her good hand and clutched onto his shirt, and dropped her casted arm over his hip. "I've got you," Craig said. "You're safe with me, Gabby," he said. "I've got your six."

xxx

Hetty paced the bullpen, bouncing Baby Jacob slowly in her arms. She'd taken possession of the child from the agent who had discovered him still in the safe house. When Gabby was taken, her abductor hadn't even checked the house for the baby, choosing instead to leave him behind. Seeing that the child was now finally asleep, Hetty sank into her desk chair and let out a soft sigh. She'd visited Gabby in the predawn hours of this morning, after the murder scene at Hernandez's house was secured and Jefferson's team had shown up. Hetty had taken Gabby's statement—and had a positive identification that Pedro Hernandez had been the one to abduct her. He'd also been the one to kill all those girls found in the sandbox. The military police officer who was dead had been killed by Pedro Hernandez, as well as her probie, her dear, Agent Karen Fisher.

Once she'd finally gotten everything taken care of, she'd gone back to the office, weary of her day (at only nine in the morning), and had gotten the call from Craig Madison that Gabby's baby was missing. She'd hurried to the safe house, hoping to find a clue that would lead them to the missing baby. She'd been relieved to find Agent Timms sitting in the cruiser, a fussing baby in his arms.

She picked up the phone, careful not to wake Jacob, and called the hospital. She needed to check on Agent Phelps. He was still alive when he arrived at the hospital, though it was becoming alarmingly clear that the traumatic brain injury may have done severely debilitating damage to her fine agent. Hetty spoke in soft tones, listening to the nurse, asking about the arrival of the agent's family, and sighing in relief when she was told that Phelps' partner had arrived and was taking care of him. Hetty had met the young man on several occasions—office parties, team cookouts, that sort of thing—and she liked Marc, and hoped that the young man would have what it took to withstand the long road that was ahead for her agent, if he survived.

Hetty learned from the nurse that Marc had not left his partner's side since he'd arrived, and that Carter Phelps was in a deep coma. He did, however, still have brain function, and his brain activity was being carefully monitored. They'd had to operate earlier and put a stint in, to help with the fluid buildup. Hetty spoke to Marc after she spoke to the nurse. He sounded tired, but was grateful that his partner was still alive, and that he'd gotten the best care available to him. Hetty assured him that Carter's medical insurance through NCIS, coupled with the Worker's Compensation he would be getting, would cover all of the medical expenses. Marc, sounding like he was about to cry, thanked her quietly and ended the call. Hetty pulled out the Workers Compensation paperwork. She would see to it that her agent got everything he needed, and that his partner wouldn't have to worry about anything more than taking care of Carter.

xxx

The next morning, Kelly bounced out of bed and dressed quickly. She started throwing her things into her suitcase and then ran around collecting her mommy's things and put them carefully into her suitcase. She was really growing up so much—she was exceptionally talented at packing suitcases! Once she was packed, she picked up her suitcase and lugged it out of the bedroom and down the hall.

JoAnne was sitting at her kitchen table, sipping a cup of hot tea and trying to enjoy the quiet while it lasted. Last night had been…challenging. Kelly was understandably upset and anxious, and getting her to sleep had proven to be quite a challenge. It had been many years since JoAnne had heard the pitter patter of young feet in her house—and she was finding the experience this time around to be more exhausting than exhilarating.

She bit back a groan when she heard a loud, unfamiliar bump coming from the hallway, followed by a pained little eight year old sounding grunt. JoAnne pushed herself up from the chair and walked towards the hall through the living room, stopping short when she saw her young granddaughter appear from the hall lugging a suitcase with her.

"Going somewhere?" JoAnne asked mildly.

Kelly stopped and looked at her grandmother as though she was stupid. "Home," she said simply.

"Ah," JoAnne said, sitting down on the chair. "How are you planning to get there? Our airplane isn't leaving for two more weeks." _And if this keeps up it is going to be a long. two. weeks._

Kelly stared for a long moment. "But Mommy got to leave all of the suddens," she finally said. "We can do that too. It will be ok."

"Actually…I talked to your mommy and daddy this morning, Princess," JoAnne told Kelly. "They said that right now it is good that you are here, because Little Tony needs them to be able to help him there. If you're here then they know you're safe and we've got some fun stuff planned, so the time will go fast and before we know it we'll be on the plane heading for home."

"You talked to my mommy and daddy?" Kelly's voice was small. Suddenly the meekness was gone, and fiery anger took over. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP! I WANNA TALK TO MY MOMMY AND DADDY!"

"They're asleep right now honey. They had a very late night at the hospital with Little Tony. They were up almost until time for the sun to come up and they haven't been asleep but for a couple of hours."

"How's come they talked to you but didn't wanna talk to me?"

"Oh sweetheart it wasn't that they didn't want to talk to you. They were very tired, and they knew you were still sleeping, so we only stayed on the phone for a couple of minutes. Long enough for them to tell me what is going on with Little Tony and for them to tell me they're glad you're here with grandpa and me where we can have some fun."

"Why's Little Tony gotta be in the stupid hospital again? I don't like him he always screws everything up!" Kelly ranted. She picked up the suitcase and headed for the front door. "I'm going home," she snapped. "I don't wanna be here no more!"

JoAnne stood up and moved to the door, standing between Kelly and her freedom. "I'm sorry honey," she said, truly regretfully, "But I'm afraid you don't have any choice. You're here with me until we meet back up with Grandpa to head home. That will be in two weeks. Now. If you can control yourself, then after lunch today we can call Mommy and Daddy. But you have to be calm and in control because they are feeling very scared and very stressed right now. Do you understand what that means?"

"It means Little Tony's causing trouble again," Kelly snapped. "I hate him! I wish we never woulda found him! I wish we could take him back to the stupid fair where we got him from and leave him there again!"

"Young lady I do not ever want to hear those words come out of your mouth again!" JoAnne scolded. "I understand that you are frustrated, scared, and upset—and maybe even a little bit angry. But we should never say such horrible things about our brothers and sisters. Especially when you have a brother who thinks you hung the moon! Tony loves you Kelly!"

"I wish he'd quit screwing everything up. He messed up the whole summer by falling off the stupid steps 'cause his stupid dog had to pee. And then he always gets a headache when I wanna go to play outside. And then he gets beat up by the stupid bullies because the other kids think he's weird or something. Now he made Mommy hafta leave early to go back home. He's makin' everything no fun and I don't like it!"

JoAnne crossed her arms over her chest. "Kelly I think you need to take a time out—you need to calm down."

"You aren't my mommy," Kelly sneered, in what was quite possibly the nastiest tone of voice JoAnne had ever heard emerge from an eight year old. "You don't get ta tell me what ta do!" Kelly attempted to shoulder past JoAnne to start out the door, but JoAnne put her hands on her granddaughter's shoulders to stop her.

"That is ENOUGH." JoAnne scooped Kelly up and plopped her down firmly on the couch. "You will sit until I tell you to get up," she said firmly. "I'm sorry you are upset, but I did not do this to you, it is just something that happened, and I know that it is difficult but I'm afraid you're going to have to get over it for now."

Kelly crossed her arms and scowled up at her grandmother, but didn't move. A few moments later, the scowl melted and tears began to fill her eyes.

JoAnne sat down on the couch next to Kelly and put a gentle arm around her shoulder. "Honey can I tell you a story?"

Kelly sniffled, two tears dripped off of her face, and she nodded. She scrubbed at her teary cheeks with a fisted hand.

JoAnne captured the little girl's hand in her own. "I want to tell you a story about another little girl. This little girl had a mommy and a daddy, just like you do. Only this little girl's daddy was not a very nice person. He was mean to the little girl's mommy and he left her when the little girl was just a baby. Sometimes the little girl got mad because of it, because she wanted Mommy to try harder to make her daddy happy and she wanted her mommy to work harder to find her a new daddy. She wanted to change things in her world that made her feel frustrated, but sometimes we can't do that. So do you know what the little girl did?"

Kelly shook her head, enraptured by the story. "What did she do?"

"She made a choice. A very important choice. She decided that she could be angry all the time, and mad at the things in her life that she couldn't change, OR she could learn to take a deep breath, roll with the punches, and be nice to every person she meets. Do you know which she chose?"

Kelly was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know," she whispered. "What did she choose to do?"

"She chose to be nice. She is one of the nicest people I know."

"You still know her?" Kelly's eyes rounded. "Did she ever get a nice daddy?"

"She did! She got one of the nicest daddies I have ever known."

"What was his name? My daddy's name is Jethro and he's nice too."

JoAnne got a faraway look in her eyes and for a moment she seemed very sad. "His name was Charlie," she finally said softly. "And he was a very good man."

Kelly was quiet for a minute. "What's a lady's name?"

JoAnne ran her hand lightly over Kelly's hair. "The lady's name is Shannon."

Kelly looked up at her. "That's my mommy's name! Only she doesn't have a daddy!"

JoAnne smiled sadly. "She did have. She had a daddy named Charlie, but he went to heaven when Shannon was in high school."

Kelly blinked. "Were you talking about my mommy?"

JoAnne chuckled. "I certainly was."

"So does that mean you think I should choose to always be nice to people?" Kelly wanted to know.

"I mean you have a choice to make too, Kelly. You can choose to be angry about your situation. You didn't get any warning that you were getting a younger brother—and especially one who needs so many things. Or you can choose to be his best friend—his biggest fan and biggest protector. You can help support him and take care of him if he needs it. Because one day Kelly, Grandma and Grandpa and Mommy and Daddy are all going to be gone, and it will only be you and Tony left. It is up to you right now, to decide how you want that relationship to be."

Kelly looked at her grandma. "That's a big choice," she said softly.

"Yes it is."

Kelly was quiet for a moment. "Grandma why does Tony need so much help with everything?"

"Well, physically, his body needs a lot of help because his father hurt him so badly. He hurt him before Tony came to be part of our family, and he hurt him again in the courtroom. He's getting better, he had the surgery on his leg, and he's eating now and gaining some weight, so he should be feeling better soon. But it takes time."

JoAnne was not surprised by Kelly's next question. "Why's he always want Daddy with him? He was my daddy first," Kelly said softly. The earlier bite in her tone was gone.

"Yes, he was your daddy first, but just like if your mommy had gotten pregnant, you have a younger brother now. And that means that your daddy is as much Tony's daddy as he is yours. You and Tony are going to have to share him."

"But he always wants him to tuck him into bed at night. How's come he can't go to bed without tucks like I do sometimes?"

JoAnne thought about how to approach this. "Tony has seen some very scary things, Kelly. Have you ever seen something scary?"

"Yeah that lady we found dead in the sandbox. That was scary!"

"I'm sure it was, darling. Little Tony has, unfortunately, seen a great deal of stuff like that. He even saw his mother looking like that poor woman in the sandbox did. And his father did and said some things to him that were very mean and very scary to him. I would imagine bedtime is a very scary time for Tony."

A thought struck Kelly then. "You mean he can't help it? Like maybe he wants ta be a big kid but he's too scared cause of all the things that's happened to him?"

JoAnne hugged Kelly close. "I think that he can't help it. I think he's as frustrated by his situation as you are. So the choice you have to make is, are you going to be friends with Tony, help him grow, help him feel better when he feels bad, or are you going to get angry at him for feeling things that he maybe can't help—and make it harder for him?"

xxx

Anthony DiNozzo Sr. paced the length of his cell. He took careful steps to make sure he didn't trip over the lump of child lying in the floor—right in the walkway—right where he wanted to walk. He couldn't understand why Tony was there, huddled and shivering on the floor, whimpering cries coming from his little body, but Senior was not going to interact with him. Ignoring it was the best way to make it go away.

As Senior turned, the child suddenly stuck his foot out, tripping Senior and sending him sprawling onto the floor. He blinked and whipped around, ready to murder the little bastard, when he realized that he was alone. The child was gone.

"I do not like it when you look at me like that," Tony said, his voice coming from a place above the back of Senior's head.

Senior turned around again and saw the child perched neatly on the ceiling. He was upside down, and closer inspection revealed a large open, gaping wound on his eye—right in the spot where Senior had shot Tony back in June. He noted that the child was small—about the size he'd been when Senior had roughly shoved him out of the car. His hair was long and dangled towards the floor, looking as though it was filled with static electricity.

"I'll look at you any way I fucking please," Senior sneered.

Tony giggled. "You are not so scary when I look at you upsided-down," he exclaimed. "You look funny, not scary!"

"So pleased that I can amuse you," Senior muttered. He needed out of this damn cage, he was losing his mind in here, and he'd be damned if he was going to stay here with little _Tony _here as his only company.

He heard a rattling sound and turned, rushing for the door. They were opening it. "Go away you little bastard," Senior said to Tony, but Tony was gone, had already vanished.

"Stand back asshole," the guard he'd attacked earlier sneered. "If you try any funny business you're gonna regret it," he held up a taser. "It's time for ya hearing."

Senior, desperate to get out of the cell, complied with his orders. He did as instructed and didn't even wince when he was handcuffed. He offered no struggle, on his best behavior, grateful to every high power in the universe for letting him out of that little boxy room.

"Who were you talking to?" the guard sneered. "You crazy? Cracking up? Do you need to be in the nut house instead of in the prison cell?" he taunted. "Must be crazy to do what you did to your kid, you dirty bastard."

"I was talking to—" Senior glanced up at the guard who towered over him and fought down a shiver as his eyes lit up, anxiously awaiting the new ammunition against him, "—myself," he finished softly. "Like mother always said," he chuckled nervously, "gotta talk to someone with some sense, right?" That earned him a whack over the back of the head with a hand.

The guard led Senior down a hall he'd never been down before and at the end of the corridor there was a door. He opened the door and pushed Senior inside. There was a long table set up with three individuals sitting on one side of it. Senior was led up to the other side of the table, to a chair sat some three feet back from the table. With his hands cuffed behind him he posed no threat to the Disciplinary Board seated in front of him. The guard knelt down and fastened a shackle around his ankle and hooked it to a bolt in the floor.

Senior glared at him. The members of the board noticed. There was a lady with graying hair, tied back with a barrette, who frowned at him. "It would do you well to keep your attitude in check, Mr. DiNozzo," she said coolly.

Anthony let out a long breath. "Yes ma'am," he said. "I apologize."

The man dressed in a fine suit, seated in the middle of the trio glanced at his companions. "Let's get this hearing started, shall we?" They nodded. "Mr. DiNozzo how long have you been in the solitary confinement cell?"

Senior blinked. "I have no idea," he sputtered. "There's no lights in there, no windows, no clocks. How the hell would I know how long I've been in there?"

"You've been in the cell for just over twenty-four hours," the third person in the trio said. He was an older man, thin hair combed over his balding head, an underbite in his jaw was visible thanks to his dentures.

"No!" Senior said. "It's been longer than that! It has to have been longer than that!"

"I understand that it can be quite disorienting to stay in those cells," the first man said. "Perhaps you would not mind to explain to us why you were placed there in the first place?"

TBC…


	27. Eye Openers

_Thanks to Gotgoats for all your help and encouragement with this chapter (story) it wouldn't be possible without ya!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 27: Eye Openers**

Hetty flinched involuntarily as the gunshots went off. She looked at Mike who looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Another round of shots fired and they both flinched again. A moment later the third and final round of the 3-volley salute fired.

And of course it was raining.

Hetty and Mike were attending Agent Karen Fisher's funeral service. Hetty was not surprised by the large turnout at the service—her agent had been a well-liked and respected young woman with a promising career ahead of her. Here, for her final moments, it was more reassuring than surprising to know that Karen was surrounded by so many family members, friends and colleagues. Hetty couldn't think of a single person who did not like Agent Fisher around NCIS.

She lowered her gaze to the casket whose top was completely covered in beautiful flowers. The largest arrangement, located over the Agent's heart, was from her beloved fiancé, Brady. Hetty drew in a slow, heavy breath. Fisher's wedding was supposed to be in just six short weeks. She stole a glance over at Brady, standing near Karen's mother, tears and rain dripping of his nose and chin. He looked like he'd lost his best friend. He had.

As the pastor's warm voice flowed over all of them on this rainy afternoon, Hetty's thoughts turned to other things. She didn't desire comfort from God or any other higher power right now. She desired vengeance. She would avenge her agents. Agent Phelps was still in a deep coma, but was alive and appearing stable. The damage that was done to Carter Phelps' brain was extensive though. At this point there was little hope for him to come out of the coma, and all talk of a full recovery had been abandoned within the first hours following the attack. That sonofabitch Pedro Hernandez would be found, and he would be brought to justice for what he'd done. He'd caused so much pain and trouble…emptying her gun into him, while satisfying, would be more mercy than he deserved.

Hetty glanced at Mike who returned her gaze. The two of them had been partners for several years, with him watching her six, and her watching his. They moved as a fluid pair through every assignment they were given. Each of them knew their roles, each one knew what the other would be doing and could easily anticipate any movements from their partner. Mike knew Hetty well enough to know that she would be seeking revenge for her fallen agents. She was taking this personally. And he also knew that she could read him as well. Knew that tonight, with both of them having been given the day off, Mike would go home and kiss his baby girl, hug his wife and drink a beer in honor of his friends.

Tomorrow, though, they would be focused once again. They would clear their minds of their emotional attachments to this harrowing situation, and they would focus on one thing and one thing only.

Catching Pedro Hernandez and making the asshole pay for his crimes.

xxx

Tony had been in the hospital for four days now, and Dr. Kristopher had stopped by each afternoon. The Gibbses were pleased with Tony's ophthalmologist. He was knowledgeable and helpful, friendly and didn't talk over their heads with medical jargon. Dr. Kristopher was also driving back and forth from LA everyday to check on Little Tony's progress. He'd left just an hour or so earlier, having checked in on Tony once again, pronounced him as stable and improving, checked his chart to make sure the medication levels were correct and had then explained that next week he was going to have Tony transferred back to the hospital in Los Angeles where Dr. Kristopher had initially treated Tony so that he could perform his reconstructive surgery on the little boy's eye socket.

He'd been diagnosed with subconjunctival hemorrhages after the MRI and CT Scan results had come back in. There were no signs of blood clots, no signs of strokes or damage. Tony had given them a scare, but was mostly fine, just as Dr. Kristopher had initially thought. The migraine had also faded, leaving Tony tired and weary, and he was still being given medication to control his blood pressure.

Shannon glanced up when she heard the knock on the hospital room door. She shared a confused look with Jethro, who shrugged. Their usual visitors typically just walked right in when they arrived—doctors and nurses came and went as they pleased, their friends would knock as the door was being opened. To have someone knock and not come straight in immediately got the young parents' attention. Jethro rose to answer the door.

As Jethro moved towards the door, Tony stirred. He'd been sleeping lightly, restlessly, for a good bit of the afternoon. Jethro and Shannon were concerned about what that would mean for bedtime. Tony quickly caught on that there was someone at the door and shrank back a bit.

"Wh-who at a door?" he whispered softly, his eyes starting to slide shut again. His eyes were itchy and the light made them hurt. He felt the best when he was sleeping.

Shannon smiled down at him, her auburn hair framing her face prettily in long wisps. "Don't know yet," she said softly. "Daddy's answering it." They could hear Jethro speaking softly to someone and a moment later he turned to Tony and Shannon.

"Do you feel up to having a visitor for a few minutes Tony?" Jethro asked softly.

Tony nodded. "Kay," he whispered. "Who is it?"

Jethro glanced over his shoulder and nodded. A moment later, a skinny woman with long dark hair entered the room. She was carrying a sparkling gift bag with her. "Tony," Jethro said. "This is Madeline Sentron. She's going to be your Kindergarten teacher when school starts."

Tony was still lying flat on his back and he stared up at the woman who slowly approached his bed. "Hi Tony," the teacher said softly. "My name is Mrs. Sentron. How are you?"

"I ok," Tony said shyly. His eyes slid slowly over the woman, looking at her, memorizing her. "I like you bag," he said quietly.

Mrs. Sentron smiled. "Actually, this bag isn't mine," she said gently. "It's for you. Ms. Carson, our teacher assistant, helped me pick out the items, and we thought we would give you a get-well-soon present. We heard you were going to have surgery." It was all she could do to look Tony in the face—his eye socket was sunken in and disfigured where he needed to have the bones reconstructed, and now his little eyes were blood-filled and really quite grotesque looking. He was a horror to look at now, but the young teacher imagined he'd be quite adorable once he got himself fixed up.

"For me?" Tony asked, his eyes widening slightly. Oh yes this child would be a heartbreaker in no time.

Mrs. Sentron nodded. "All for you kiddo," she said. "I'm excited to have you in our class—I heard you already know how to spell your name!"

"Tee…Ohhh…Ennn…Eee, no, Whyyyy," Tony said carefully, thinking each letter through to make sure he was spelling it right. "Tuh-ohh-knee!"

"My goodness you are smart!" the teacher exclaimed, her gaze reaching as far up as Tony's mouth. She just…couldn't…look at him…the poor child…she didn't know details on what all had happened to him, but she knew that this child, if he didn't get some reconstructive surgery, would be picked on and harassed for months or years to come. She was glad the surgery was already scheduled. That would be good for him.

She handed Tony the gift bag. "You can open it now, or you can open it later if you aren't feeling well," Mrs. Sentron said, her gaze once again reaching about as high as his chin.

Jethro gently cranked the bed up so Tony was sitting up a little bit, and winked at him from the end of the bed. Tony stared at the teacher, whose gaze remained fixed somewhere on his face—somewhere other than his eyes.

"It ok," Tony said softly, setting the bag aside.

Mrs. Sentron blinked and looked to Jethro and Shannon for clarification. "What's ok?" she asked. The young parents shrugged.

Tony's gaze dropped and his shoulders slumped, despite his reclined position. "It ok," he said again, just as softly as before. "You do not hafta look at me. I know I's ugly. It a cause I did not have my sure-jelly yet." His gaze was now firmly on his lap, ashamed of his appearance. He took a deep breath. "I tired now," he said.

Jethro bristled. "May I speak to you in the hall?" Though he phrased it as a question, it was obvious to Mrs. Sentron that it was not a request being made.

"Of…of course," she said, following him to the door.

Jethro glanced back at Shannon who was climbing onto the bed with Tony, talking softly right into his ear, stroking the top of his head lightly with her fingernails and the other hand holding Tony's hand gently. Mrs. Sentron stepped past him into the hall and Jethro clicked the door shut behind them as he followed her out into the brightly lit space.

"I want to make one thing very clear before this goes any further," Jethro said, his voice cold and serious, his blue eyes icy and flashing. "That little boy in there…his whole life has been a series of disappointments, hurt, pain, hurt feelings, and rejection. We're busting our asses to fix that. So if you can't handle this—if you can't look him in the eye—if you can't stand to see him as he is—then I suggest you leave right now. We'll put in a request for a new teacher if this is too much for you. I'm not trying to be a total bastard here, but you must understand that Tony is my first priority. He's made a good bit of progress, and I am not interested in seeing him go backwards."

Mrs. Sentron blinked and was quiet for a moment. "I understand," she said softly. "I apologize. I'll make it right," she said.

"You only get one shot," Jethro warned. "I'll not see him hurt again." She nodded and he followed her back in the room.

"I thought you was gone," Tony said dejectedly. "I was thinking you do not like me so much." Before either of the parents could react to Tony's quiet exclamation, the teacher sat down on the edge of the bed and she gently took Tony's face in her hands. Feeling horrible for unintentionally hurting this sweet boy's feelings, she carefully tilted his face up so that she could look him right in the eye. "I do _not _think you are ugly," she said firmly. "It just makes me sad that you've obviously been hurt so badly. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings," Mrs. Sentron said contritely. "I like you quite a lot!"

Tony raised his eyes slowly to meet hers and saw that she was not kidding around with him—she meant her words. "I know I scaredy looking," he said.

"No you aren't," Mrs. Sentron assured him. "You are absolutely adorable. I can't wait to get to know you better." She looked at Jethro and Shannon. "When is his surgery?"

"Next Tuesday," Jethro said. His arms were crossed and the beginnings of a frown were tugging at his features. He was taking no chances with Tony here. He would not see him hurt again.

Mrs. Sentron nodded. "Would it be ok if I came back to visit sometime?"

"Sure," Shannon said, much more agreeable than her husband, though no less fierce. "Tony would you like that?"

Tony smiled. "Could we…maybe could we read 'towies?"

Mrs. Sentron smiled. "I have boatloads of good stories. I'll pick us out some really good ones to read together ok? I will come visit you everyday until you have surgery if you'd like. Once your surgery is done then I will come after that too, if you want me to and if it is ok with your mommy and daddy." She stole a glance at the parents who exchanged a glance, then nodded.

"I would like that I think," Tony said softly. He yawned and raised a hand to his temple. "My head hurting," he said softly.

Jethro quickly cranked the bed back so that Tony was lying down again. Shannon stayed right with him, soothing him.

"Mommy?" Tony asked softly.

"Yeah baby boy?"

"Can I…" he sighed. "I sorry. Can I have Daddy?"

Shannon smiled and rubbed her nose back and forth across Tony's. "Why sure you can," she told him. Shannon rolled off the bed and Jethro took her place without sparing a second glance at the teacher that he stepped around.

"Hey Buddy," Jethro said softly, smiling as Tony snuggled right up to him. Tony smiled up at him and then winced.

Shannon dimmed the lights and then returned to Mrs. Sentron's side. "Come on," she said. "I'll walk you out. He's getting a migraine, so it would be better for us to talk more in the hall."

Mrs. Sentron nodded. "Goodbye Tony," she said quietly. "I'll bring us some stories tomorrow, ok?"

"Kay," Tony mumbled, clutching his daddy's t-shirt, eyes squeezed tightly closed. "Bye."

Shannon opened the door and let the teacher out first, then followed her. "I'm not sure what Jethro may have told you," she said quietly, once they were in the hall.

"He made it pretty plain that in no way would I be allowed to harm Tony in any way—which I would never want to do at all!—and told me if it was too much for me to handle, that I could bow out now and you all could request a new teacher."

"Yes, all of that is true," Shannon agreed with Jethro's words. "I think…perhaps you would understand him better if you know some of what happened to him. Shall we walk? I'll buy you a cup of bad coffee in the cafeteria," Shannon offered.

"I'd like that…I'd like to hear more about Little Tony and how he got to where he is and what that path has been like."

Shannon hit the button for the elevator. "My dear woman," she said. "You have no idea what you have just asked to hear." The elevator doors slid shut on them as Shannon began her sad tale.

xxx

Jethro sat close to Little Tony, the little one snuggled into his side and trembling in his effort to not whine or cry. "It's alright Little One," Jethro murmured, his voice barely audible. His heart twisted when the child still flinched. It wasn't uncommon for a migraine to spring up so suddenly, especially in a situation that had the potential to become stressful as this one had.

"S-sorrry…D-daddy," Tony whimpered.

"Not your fault buddy," Jethro whispered. He reached out a hand and hit the call button. He figured Shannon would be speaking to the teacher for a few minutes, so he decided to go ahead and make the call and get his boy some relief.

Tony's nurse poked her head in. She saw the way the little one was lying so smushed up against his daddy, and Jethro mouthed the word "Migraine" to her. She nodded and turned, hitting the light on her way out, and went to get him some medication to relieve the pain.

It was a few minutes before the nurse returned, needless syringe in hand, and quickly plugged it into the IV port. "There we go," she whispered. "It's the good stuff."

Jethro nodded and smiled sadly when Tony relaxed into a boneless heap against him. "Thank you," he said in a low voice.

"Let me know if you need anything." The nurse, whose name was Teresa, marked Tony's chart and left quietly.

Jethro lay on the bed in the semi-dark room, his child drifting in an unconscious sleep beside him, and he thought back over the things that had happened during the last few days. Senior had made the phone call that set this whole thing off. Gibbs would like nothing better than to get that bastard in a dark alley and have his way with him. He was sure that only one of them would leave the alley if the opportunity was sprung upon him.

He nearly dozed off himself, but was startled into awareness by the sudden ringing of his phone. Tony stirred next to him but didn't wake fully, but Jethro still scrambled.

"Shit…bastard phone…where the hell did I put the damn—"

"Lannnnnng…wage…" Tony slurred from the bed, still mostly asleep. "H-hehhh…hurrsssss," he whispered, already drifting off to sleep again.

Jethro retrieved the phone from the mattress under Tony's hip—under the covers even!—and quickly flipped it open. "Yeah, Gibbs," he said softly.

"_Gunny! This is Willy!"_

"Willy…"

"_Working on yer house! Ya know! The contractor!"_

Gibbs blinked. "Ah. Ok. What's up?"

"_Well I was just calling to let ya know that we're all finished up here."_

"Like, finished, finished?"

"_Finished finished! Yer move in ready!"_

"Did you already do all the painting and everything?"

"_Oh yeah Gunny! You ever know me ta skimp on a job?"_

Jethro chose not to respond to that. "Well if you say you're all done, do you mind if I come do a walk through before I turn you loose?"

"_Do ya not trust me Gunny? Sure man, that's totally fine! Do a walk through! Want me to meet ya over there?"_

"Can't do it today…got a lot going on…I can meet you there in the morning though. Oh-eight-hundred."

"_Arright! Sounds good! See ya then!"_

Jethro hung up the phone and set it to the vibrate-only feature. He laid back down and Tony snuggled back up to him without waking. Jethro laid in the bed and wondered what all Willy and Manny-who-cut-the-boards-too-short might have missed on the house. Ah well. It was base housing. He'd get it fixed. He had enough to worry about right now without thinking on whether the floorboards would creak or not.

xxx

Madeline Sentron stared into her half drank cup of coffee. She'd abandoned drinking it about five minutes into Shannon's sad tale.

"How long did you say it's been since you adopted him?" she asked quietly.

"We finalized the adoption at the beginning of June," Shannon said, her eyes on her own coffee cup. "He's been living with us permanently since last November, and before that he was in a foster care home for three months, and before _that _we found him at the fairgrounds last September."

"My gosh," Mrs. Sentron said. "That's quite an exciting year."

Shannon smiled sadly. "I'm not sure 'exciting' is the word I'd choose."

The young teacher leaned forward on her elbows. She liked Mrs. Gibbs and they were about the same age. "So I guess that must have been tough on your marriage, eh?" she asked gently.

Shannon shook her head. "You know if anything it's helped it. I mean Jethro and I were not having any problems by any means before. But now…I dunno we've learned to work together in new ways. We rely on each other more, and I think we understand that it takes both of us to make this all work."

The teacher nodded and sat back up. "That's great that you two can work together so well. Not all couples can do that," she observed.

Shannon took a sip of coffee. "You're right," she agreed. "And I'm not going to say there have been no arguments or disagreements between us, because there have been. But they are typically on days when things are stressful and usually one or both of us have not gotten enough sleep. It's alright though. We talked about it at length before we took Tony on permanently, discussed it with Kelly, our daughter, who is two years older than Tony is, and when we made the decision it was with everyone in agreement that we wanted him to be part of our family, no matter what happens."

Mrs. Sentron took a sip of her cooling coffee. "I just wonder what will happen if Mr. Gibbs ever goes on deployment. How will that work out?"

Shannon set her coffee cup down and her face formed a grim, thin line. "We try not to think about it," she said, her tone indicating that was the end of the discussion.

xxx

Upstairs in Tony's hospital room, Jethro was just getting settled back down from the last phone call when the phone suddenly ran again.

"Oh Jesus Christ," he grumbled moodily. He snapped the phone off of his belt and looked at the caller ID. He recognized it as the number he'd called three days ago—the prison.

He sat up on the edge of the bed. "Hello," he said softly, trying not to disturb Tony.

"I'm trying to reach a Mr. Leroy Jethro Gibbs," a woman's voice replied.

"Speaking," Jethro said. "Who is this?"

"Mr. Gibbs my name is Juanita and I am returning your call. I work in Rehabilitation at the California State Prison Facility."

"I called you three days ago," Gibbs grumped. "I want to know how the hell that sonofabitch got to call my house and harass _my_ son to the point that he required hospitalization. He's _still _in the hospital."

"I do apologize for the delay," Juanita responded. "I did not have any information for you then. I've done some digging around though, and some asking, and I've gotten the information you requested."

"I'm listening," Jethro said.

"On Friday afternoon, Anthony DiNozzo Senior was left unattended in the office of a secretary while she was out to lunch. He'd been assigned light duty work due to injuries he sustained several weeks ago. He was supposed to be cleaning the office. The secretary returned when she realized that the guard watching Mr. DiNozzo had left—presumably to go on his lunch break—and called for assistance as soon as she realized he was on the phone."

"You do understand," Gibbs' voice was cold, "that my family has a protective restraining order against this man, right?"

"I understand that," Juanita replied. "Which brings me to the next bit of information."

"Go ahead," Gibbs said.

"Once confronted by the guards regarding the phone call he made quite a scene. He attacked a guard and created quite a disturbance. He was placed in our solitary confinement wing."

Jethro couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled past his lips. "Solitary confinement?" he chuckled. "Well that's interesting…how long will he be in there?" His chuckle died. "Or is he already out?"

"He had a disciplinary hearing three days ago…part of the reason it took me so long to get you this information. To my knowledge he is still in solitary confinement."

Jethro had been through various torture trainings in the Marines. One of those tortures had been sensory deprivation. He wondered if it was anything like what Senior was experiencing now. He knew one thing—it had been the most miserable three days of his life. He was in no hurry to repeat it. He thanked Juanita and hung up the phone, giving instructions for the staff to be alerted that Senior should not be allowed to make any unsupervised outside contact at all—they had to keep Tony safe. Juanita agreed.

Jethro laid back down and prayed that the phone wouldn't ring anymore.

xxx

Senior was pacing the length of his box again. He'd been outraged at his disciplinary hearing to learn that he would be sentenced to four months in solitary confinement—and then fucking reevaluated to see if he was ready to go back to general population or not. He reached the wall of his cell and whipped around, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw the child sitting in the middle of the floor staring up at him with soulful green eyes.

"What the hell do you want?!" Senior snarled. "It's your damn fucking fault I'm even in here to start with. You and your big fucking mouth. What the hell did you say I did, eh? HUH? TELL ME!"

Much to Senior's surprise, the child stood up and walked right up to him. "I have something else I am apposed a tell you about," he said.

TBC…


	28. Threats & Promises

_Thanks to Gotgoats for helping me with this chapter! You're awesome!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 28: Threats and Promises**

Senior snarled and grabbed the little boy by the front of his shirt, lifting the illusion—or had he crossed the lines into delusions?—off of the floor.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" He growled, right in his son's face. Part of him knew that his son was not there, and part of him couldn't contain his anger at seeing the little bastard invading his own private solitary confinement—he was supposed to be alone dammit! Why couldn't Little Tony leave him alone?

Tony giggled—he actually had the nerve to giggle, right in Senior's face. "I's here a cause you maked me come. You's thinked me up!"

"Well go away, I don't want you here," Senior grumbled, throwing the child back onto the floor.

"I like your box," Tony said softly, from the spot on the floor where his body landed.

"What?!" Senior's hands tightened into fists.

Tony slowly climbed to his feet and limped to his father. "I say I like your box," Tony replied, his own hands tightening into fists.

Senior turned, refusing to strike a hallucination—was he cracking up?—and he let a deep breath escape through clenched teeth. "I'm not interested in riddles," he snapped. Apparently he would talk to hallucinations instead.

Tony looked around and gestured with his arms. "Your box is nicer than my box was," he said softly. "You gets a have a bed and a potty," he said reasonably, as though the facts should be obvious to Senior.

"I think you're out of your goddamn mind," Senior growled. But something was growing in his stomach. A ball of something. Was it fear? Shame? God forbid it…was he feeling guilty for what he'd done to Tony?

"I do not know why you are so mad," Tony wondered out loud. "The poe-leeece mans did not break you leg a fore they put you in your box." Accusing eyes turned to the older man. "Not like you did to me."

Senior narrowed his eyes. "Now you know that was an accident," he said nervously.

Tony shook his head. "No," he said simply. "I do not know that. I know I did not break a vase like A Nelope said I did. She was a liar-liar, not me. I was trying a help it a not fall down and it broked onna floor. A Nelope knockeded it offa table. Was not me," Tony argued. "But you did not a bleeve me."

Of course Senior had always known, since the instant that he'd looked his housekeeper in the eye that she was guilty of breaking the vase. But it was easier to punish Tony than it was to reason with a woman who barely spoke English to try and get her to understand that he'd have to make her pay for the vase.

"A baddest break of all was when I had my wet shoes on," Tony said, his voice sad and his eyes on the floor. "You took you big old feet and you 'tomped on me and you 'tomped on me and you 'tomped on me. My leg broked over and over and over and over! Why you 'tomped me for? And then…" he shuddered, "and then m-my mean-mommy…she gived me a medicines…and I heared her say she hoped I would go a heaven. Why you and mean-mommy not love me?"

Tony sat down in the middle of Senior's bed—the metal slab with no blanket and he bounced on it a couple of times as though he were testing the firmness of a mattress.

"You lock-ded me up and you chain-ded me up too! I could not move! What iffa house hadda fire? What if there was a earthyquake?"

Senior didn't answer and Tony looked coolly at him. In fact, Senior was astonished by the lack of emotion in the child's expression. He was almost completely blank. It was a nearly perfect mask. "I's know what you's woulda done-ded if they was a earthyquake or a fire," he said, his voice just barely above a whisper.

"And what is it you think we would have done if there was an earthquake or a fire?" Senior sneered.

"You woulda done-ded what all mean mommies and daddies do. You woulda lefted me there. You woulda letted me burned up or falled inna hole." Tony glared at Senior. "You woulda let me die."

Tony suddenly appeared behind Senior and started pushing him to the bed. "You should go a night night," Tony said. Senior laid down on the bed, eyeing the child uncertainly.

Little Tony sat down on the floor in front of the door. "You's can go a sleep," he told him matter-of-factly. "If they is a fire or a earthyquake I will tell 'em a get you out." Senior blinked and Tony was right in his face, a ghost-like five year old whose eyes flashed with malice and hatred. "I will be nicer a you than you ever was a me, Mean Daddy."

Senior shivered.

xxx

Mike Franks blew out a frustrated breath of air and slammed the file he was holding down on the table. "Where the hell did he go?!" he grumped.

Hetty was looking through the evidence logs and autopsy reports, trying to find something—anything—that could give them a hint as to where Hernandez had disappeared to. But there was nothing. It was as if he had literally dropped off the face of the earth and taken all evidence of him ever being there with him.

"We'll find him Mike," Hetty said. "If we get frustrated we'll miss things. We just have to be patient, and go over every bit of information we have. We'll find it. The information we need is there. The lead is there. We will find it."

Mike flopped down in his chair and groaned. "You're right," he muttered. "I know you're right." He flipped the file open again and started going back through the information. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm himself and regain his objectivity. "You can run asshole," he muttered. "But you can't hide."

xxx

It was a perfect hiding place. In Zacatecas, Mexico, there was a small-ish municipality by the name of Tlaltenango. The municipality was home to about twenty-thousand people. It was small enough to blend in, small enough to get lost in, but not so large as to attract a lot of attention. It would be a good place to regroup, figure out a plan.

Pedro Hernandez eyed himself in the mirror in the bathroom at the tiny hotel. The first order of business, he'd decided, was to get rid of the "Marine Look." He had started growing a beard. He decided he would let his hair grow, and would spend some time laying low. He had already stopped doing the regimented workout and was eating extra calories to gain some weight. He looked down at his body, his manhood tenting the towel wrapped around his waist and he shook his head at it.

There would be no beautiful women in this town. No drugs. It was too risky. Too easy to attract unwanted attention.

He'd killed five, possibly six people. He hadn't heard if the agent he'd whacked over the head was alive or dead. He knew the federal agents knew he was guilty—that last murder had cemented it—he'd all but confessed to the murder by killing Agent Fisher. He needed to lay low. Very low. Stay very quiet. Move around some. Sell his car and get a new one. He'd keep a low profile for a couple of years, and not stay in the same place for too long, and absolutely not set foot in or near the US or anywhere that the Gringos congregated here in Mexico. He'd stick to little towns, out of the way places, and avoid large cities, places with historical value, tourist destinations.

And he would dream and scheme and make plans. When the time was right—once he'd let the heat die down, he'd go back to the United States. He'd find Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his family. And he'd have his revenge. He could barely contain his excitement. He couldn't wait to see the look in Gibbs' eyes when Pedro took everything from him that was important—just as he felt Gibbs had done to him.

Revenge, when it came, would be sweet indeed.

But if there was one thing he'd learned in his dealings with the beautiful girls he'd been forced to leave behind…it was patience. Patience would get you everything you could ever want.

And Pedro was a very patient man.

xxx

Gabby looked around. All of her belongings were packed carefully into the large shopping bags that were adorned with the hospital's name and logo. Her face still felt distorted, as though it had been kicked in, but she could see out of both of her eyes and was nearly able to breathe through her nose. Her arm was still in a cast and sling, and caused her some discomfort, but nothing she couldn't handle. She had to be careful how she lifted Baby Jacob. She was wearing a loose t-shirt with loose fitting shorts and sandals.

She was ready to go home.

Glancing down at the young toddler in her lap—her precious baby, that she was so grateful had escaped this ordeal unharmed—and bounced him a couple of times. Baby Jacob was sound asleep, happily sucking on his pacifier and probably dreaming of something wonderful. Gabby hugged him a little closer and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

She was sitting in the wheelchair waiting for the ok from the doctors to leave the hospital. She wanted to stop by and see Little Tony on her way out though, because she'd heard that he was there too. She wasn't sure if it would scare him to see her or not, so she thought she'd get Gunny to come outside and she'd clear it with him first.

The door opened to her right and her gaze immediately shot up. She had never liked having people sneak up on her and after everything that happened with Pepe it was bordering on a phobia now. Gabby didn't know how she'd ever get past it. She wondered if it would affect her work in the USMC.

"Easy," Craig Madison said softly, clicking the door shut behind him. "It's just me. You ok?"

He hadn't left her side. She'd been in the hospital for almost a week—five days!—and he'd not left her side even once. The farthest away he'd gone was to the cafeteria to find them something that actually resembled real food instead of the stuff the hospital served to patients. With Gabby's jaw wired shut that had mostly resembled pureed baby food. Craig had brought her a smoothie to drink one day, and a cup of pudding the next. Little things to cheer her up had started appearing around her—flowers that he "found," a cd player with some of her favorite music (she was still trying to figure out how he'd managed that)—things of that nature. Little things to make her days brighter.

She wasn't ready for a relationship—not after what she'd just been through. But she couldn't help but feel…warm…when it came to Craig. He'd stayed with her, cared for her, cared for Jacob, held her when she was afraid, hugged her when she was sad, let her beat on him when she was angry. He'd taken it all. In return he'd worked hard to get to know her better. The two of them talked, and Gabby found herself opening up to him about things she didn't even tell her girlfriends about—let alone this strange man whom she barely knew. She told him about living back east, what it was like in Connecticut, what snow was like—he was from southern New Mexico and hadn't ever really seen snow in any great quantity before. He told her about what it was like living in the desert, told her about the iguana he'd had as a pet in high school. He hadn't ever been married, and told her about what his dreams for the future were.

Gabby was slightly surprised to learn that Craig's dreams were surprisingly similar to her own.

The doctors told had gently told Gabby the day before that there was so much damage from the sexual assault (she was beginning to hate that term) that she likely would never be able to have another baby. This had brought tears to her eyes—not because she particularly wanted more children, but because she was now denied the option. Craig held her close to him after the doctors left them, soothing her quietly, running his blunt-tipped fingers through her soft hair, promising her that everything would be alright.

The scary part was that she believed him when he said it. With Craig, it seemed, things really could be alright again.

She was being released from the hospital and it scared her to think of it. Agent Hetty and Agent Mike had come by two days ago to tell her that Pedro Hernandez had escaped and they were now searching for him. She asked if that meant she would have to stay on protection detail, and the agents gave her the option. She could choose to put her life on hold, have a buddy-agent go with her everywhere she went, be in the house with her, at the market, at work, or she could choose to cut her losses and take her chances. Gabby didn't only have herself to think of, but also her child. She had been unsure of what to do, when another option was presented to her.

_**Flashback**_

"_It's up to you, Lance Corporal," Hetty said. "You can always choose to not have protection from NCIS. You can change your mind later also. We will continue this investigation regardless of your decision, with every intention of bringing Sgt. Hernandez into our custody._

"_I don't know what do to," Gabby whispered. "I'm so scared…and I don't know if it's because of what happened, or because it frightens me to think of what could happen…of what he might to do my baby…I just…I don't know what to do," she whimpered, tears beginning to stream from her eyes._

_A gentle hand wrapped around her fingers. "You could come stay with me," Madison said. His voice was quiet and unthreatening. "You and Jacob are welcome to stay with me if you like."_

_Gabby shook her head, even as tears of relief coursed down her cheeks. "I don't…we can't intrude on you like that," she said, her voice wavering._

"_It's not an intrusion if I am offering," Craig said. "I'd feel better knowing you at least have someone in the house with you. My schedule is pretty cut and dry—I work basically the same hours you do and you'd be back to work in no time. You could stay with me until we can get you into another house on base. That way Hernandez won't know your new address. Really, Gabby, it's not an intrusion at all."_

_**End Flashback**_

Gabby had eventually agreed, and she and Jacob were going to stay with Gunnery Sgt Craig Madison until this whole thing blew over. She tried to tell herself that it had nothing to do with how safe she felt when he was close by, or how she was beginning to associate the smell and feel of him with a sense of peace and security that she couldn't recall ever having before.

The doctor poked his head in. "I've got your discharge papers all ready to go for you, Ms. Oliver," he said kindly.

"Thank you," she said, dropping her gaze back to her lap.

"Alright, well let's get you out of here," Craig said.

"I wanna go to the Pediatric Unit first," Gabby said. "I want to check on Little Tony."

Craig glanced at the doctor. "Is that alright?" he asked.

"Fine with me," the doctor replied. "You aren't contagious or anything. Shouldn't be a problem. I would try not to disturb the little one if he's asleep, but other than that, can't see any reason why it shouldn't be alright."

"Thank you," Gabby said again.

Craig picked up Gabby's things and headed for the door. "Are you ok to keep holding Jacob?" he asked as they entered the hall.

"Yeah," Gabby said. "He isn't that heavy."

"Let me know if you need a break," Craig said. "I can take him if you need me to."

"Maybe once we get to Tony's room," Gabby said.

When they arrived on the Pediatric floor, Gabby had Craig stop at the nurse's desk. She asked where Tony's room was and was directed down the hall and around the corner. "He's very sensitive to lights and noises," the nurse said. "Try to keep the excitement to a minimum."

"We won't upset him ma'am," Craig said. They both thanked the nurse and headed for the room.

xxx

Mrs. Sentron had dropped by just after lunch and shared three books with Tony. He'd managed to stay awake for two of them. Mrs. Sentron left them for him to look at when his eyes were feeling a bit better, and promised to be back the next day. Now Jethro was completely swept up in the novel he was reading. He was sitting on the bed, propped against the headboard with Tony tucked carefully in around him, his little head resting on daddy's leg. Shannon was out in the hallway talking to Kelly on her cell phone.

Jethro and Shannon were a bit worried about Kelly. Shannon knew her baby girl had been disappointed when Shannon had to leave so suddenly, but really, Shannon didn't feel like she had any other options at the time. Now that she understood the situation better, and understood that Jethro had been completely overwhelmed in the moment, she wondered if things would have been alright if she had stayed with Kelly. After speaking with her mother several days earlier, Shannon and Jethro discussed their concerns. JoAnne told Shannon all about Kelly's upset the morning after Shannon had departed. She told her all about how angry she'd gotten at Tony for needing help, and how angry she was that Tony always seemed to take up so much of their time and attention. JoAnne didn't sound judgmental or scolding on the phone, but Shannon still felt bad. She and Jethro had both missed the warning signs (had there been any?) from Kelly…they each tried to make a point to spend time with her, and to encourage her, and to stay as close to her as they'd each been before Tony came into their lives. Both parents knew that Tony needed lots of extra hugs and love and assistance. They all knew that Tony needed assistance with things Kelly could do. But most days he needed help with even basic things like walking and getting dressed.

In the semi-darkness of Tony's hospital room, Jethro and Shannon quietly decided that perhaps some family counseling would be good for them. They'd get through Tony's surgery and get him on the road to recovery—hopefully get him up and walking soon, too. Once all of that was done, then they could focus on their family as a unit—building their relationships and nipping any growing issues early on before they became huge problems.

Jethro looked up when Shannon came back into the room. She looked a bit more relieved than she had the last several times she'd spoken with their daughter. "How's our Princess doing?" he asked.

Shannon ruffled Tony's hair softly and smiled. "She's doing alright," she said. "Better I think. Something seems different, but I'm not sure what it is. Maybe she's just not so angry anymore. Mom said that she's been keeping her busy and well-entertained. Kelly was telling me about all of the stuff they've been doing." She shrugged. "I'm not sure what's different."

Tony lifted a lazy hand to his eye and began to rub it in his sleep. Shannon gently took Tony's hand and moved it away from his eye. Jethro looked sadly up at his wife. "When are his eyes going to get better?" he asked quietly. "It's been days. They're still so irritated."

"Could still be a few days yet," Shannon said. "It shouldn't interfere with his surgery though. We'll ask Dr. Kristopher tomorrow to make sure, but he should still be fine to have it. The surgery is more for the bones than his actual eye. If he was going to have the type of procedure they did before, then he'd probably have to wait, but this should be ok to go ahead and do."

Jethro hooked a finger in the belt loop of Shannon's green shorts and tugged her down close to him. "I love it when you go all nursey on me," he said, kissing her neck.

"Jethro behave," Shannon giggled. "You're gonna wake Tony up." She leaned down and kissed him passionately though, unable to stop herself. "I love it when you get all…excited," she whispered in his ear—knowing full well what whispering did to her husband.

Shannon squealed when Jethro leaned up and nipped her earlobe. "You're gonna pay for that," he rumbled in her ear, a smile immediately tugging at his lips.

"Don'…don' hur' my mommy," Tony whispered. "Please Daddy? I do not think she meant to hurt you."

"Oh Tony Daddy wasn't hurting me," Shannon said immediately, reassuring him that she was ok. "Look up here. Look at Mommy. I'm fine. See? Daddy wasn't hurting me—we were just being silly." She felt bad for scaring him.

"Sorry," Tony whispered.

"It's alright Tony," Jethro chimed in. "We didn't mean to frighten you." Tony shifted a bit and groaned. "How you feelin', Big Guy?" his daddy asked him.

"I wanna get up and do something, but I still tired and my head kinda is hurting. Can I color?" he asked.

"Well that's random," Shannon said with a smile, "but a good idea. Think you can sit up long enough to color a picture? We can mail it to Kelly if you want."

Tony smiled. "Ok Sweetie, lay there for a minute and let me go get some paper and something for you to color with," Shannon said. "We'll get you to sit up slowly once I come back ok?"

"Ok," Tony said, snuggling back in with Jethro.

Shannon stepped out to the nurse's station where she grabbed a box of colored pencils and stack of paper off of the printer. This was her floor—she was a pediatric nurse. She knew the people who worked on this floor and adored each of them. Every single person in the unit was amazing at their job and wonderful with the children they provided care for.

"How's Tony doing?" Joey, one of the other nurses asked. "He need anything?"

"He wants to draw," Shannon said with a smile. "It's an improvement; the last few days all he's wanted to do is sleep and hear stories. I think he's feeling a little better today. Got the starts of a headache though, so we're watching him.

"Let us know if he needs meds," Joey said. "Glad he's feeling a little better today! Poor little thing he's had a hard time hasn't he?"

Shannon nodded. "Oh yeah. He definitely deserves a break. We're hopeful that after this next surgery he'll be on his way to feeling better and we can all take a deep breath when that happens."

"Can't have been easy," Joey sympathized. "I can only imagine."

"It's been tough," Shannon said, "but you know, every minute's been worth it. Even the scary ones. I wouldn't trade having Tony for anything. He's just amazing." She waved at Joey and headed back for Tony's room.

xxx

While Tony was coloring, there was a soft knock on the door before it cracked open slightly. "Hello," Craig called softly, poking his head inside.

Jethro crossed the room to him. "How's Gabby doing? Is everything alright?" he kept his voice low to not frighten Tony.

Craig smiled. "Everything is fine. She's actually been released. She's sitting out in the hall."

Jethro's eyes widened and he glanced back to Shannon and Tony who were coloring on the rollaway table. "Gonna step outside in the hall hon, back in a minute."

"Give Gabby our love Jethro," Shannon said with a smile.

Jethro smiled and nodded and followed Craig into the hall. "There's my girl," he said affectionately, smiling at her. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

"'m ok," Gabby said, her voice soft and slurred because her jaw was still wired shut.

"She wanted to come see Tony, but she's afraid of upsetting him," Craig explained.

"Wuh…reed," Gabby said.

Jethro ruffled her hair. "Nonsense. You won't scare him. He knows you got hurt. Come on in." He began pushing Gabby's chair into Tony's room, Craig grabbing the door and opening it.

"Tony," Jethro called softly. "Someone's here to see you."

"Gabby!" Tony exclaimed happily when he saw her. "An' Baby Jacob!" He smiled, and then winced when it hurt.

"Take it easy kiddo," Shannon said. "Hey Sweetie," she said to Gabby.

"Hey," Gabby said softly.

"How you do that?" Tony asked, his voice filled with wonder.

"How does she do what?" Jethro asked him.

"How do she talk and no move her mouth?" Tony clenched his teeth together. "I no tan do it dood," he said before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"It looks like someone's painkillers are starting to work," Jethro said with a chuckle.

Shannon slid off the bed and moved to Gabby's side. "Jethro tells me you're going to go stay with Gunny Madison," she said quietly.

Gabby nodded, and her cheeks tinted pink as she dropped her gaze to her lap. She bounced Jacob a couple of times.

"I think it's a wise decision," Shannon praised. "Good for you."

"Cra…mae…'cision…or me," she slurred. "Don'…wanna…'mpose."

"I told her she's not imposing if I offered for her to come," Madison said with an easy smile and a shrug. "Stubborn gal just won't listen to me."

Shannon smiled. She could see the beginnings of something here…something between the two of them, and it made her happy to know that these two might be happy together. Craig definitely seemed to be protective of her. "I think you oughta listen to him," she said with a wink. "He wouldn't have offered if he didn't want you there."

Gabby lifted soulful eyes to Shannon. "Ca…ah…tal…y-you?"

Shannon nodded. "Gentlemen could you give us a moment please?"

Jethro led Craig out into the hall and Shannon turned to Tony. "You good to keep coloring for a minute Little One?"

Tony nodded, not looking up from the picture he'd resumed drawing.

Shannon pushed Gabby over to the small couch and sat down on it, facing the young woman. Gabby shifted uncomfortably, and groaned when her shoulder clenched.

"Why don't I take Jacob for a minute and let you have a rest," Shannon suggested, holding out her hands.

Gabby hesitated for only a moment, then nodded. Shannon reached out and took Jacob who stirred a little bit. "Auntie Shannon's gotcha baby," Shannon murmured. "It's alright now. Shhhh."

Jacob blinked his eyes open and looked at her and quickly resettled into sleep.

Shannon glanced up at Gabby whose gaze was fixed on Jacob. "What's going on Gabby?" Shannon asked. "How are you really doing?"

Gabby looked at Shannon and for several minutes, shared exactly how she was doing. Through slurred words and tears, Shannon made out that Gabby was grateful for Madison's help, confused about what she should be doing and how she should be acting, fearful of most men but surprisingly not of Jethro or Craig, and worried sick about her baby. She felt like a bad mother because of her bad choice in relationship with Pepe—which led to her subsequent abduction.

Shannon reassured her that she was fine—whatever she was feeling was just fine. There is no prescribed way to recover from something like what happened to her. Putting one foot in front of the other was the best advice she could offer her, and Shannon promised to be around if Gabby needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to lean on.

The two young women embraced eventually, one leaning heavily on the other. They would get through this they vowed. All of the bad stuff, all of the evil acts that had taken place—everything that had been done to them—they would overcome it. Some days would be difficult, some days would be frustrating, but they would emerge victorious.

There were no other options.

TBC…


	29. The Big Fix

_Thanks as always to my wonderful beta, Gotgoats. You're wonderful!_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 29: The Big Fix**

"Family for Tony Gibbs!"

Jethro shot up out of the chair, Shannon right on his heels. He wiped the sleep from his eyes—he'd dozed off without realizing it and his brain was struggling to catch up. "Here!" he called. "Right here."

The nurse approached with a soft smile. "Come with me," she said. "The doctors would like to speak with you while we finish up and move Tony to the recovery ward."

It was an all too familiar scenario for the young parents, though it never seemed to get any easier. They wandered aimlessly around the tiny conference room waiting for the doctors to come in. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door and the door cracked open. "Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs?" Dr. Kristopher smiled when he saw them.

"Doctor," Shannon said, rushing forward. "How's Tony?"

Dr. Kristopher entered the room, accompanied by the plastic surgeon he'd brought on board, a pretty young doctor named Dr. Taylor. They sat down and Dr. Kristopher folded his hands on the table. Jethro and Shannon joined him around the small table, their faces masked with anxiety. "Things went well," he said with a smile. "He didn't give us any scares, and his eyes are reactive to light stimulation."

"I used a wire mesh in addition with the allograft we were able to get to give better support to the eye socket area. The graft is held in place with pins and will eventually fuse with Tony's orbital bones. I was able to operate on Tony's eye socket in such a way that I could perform all of my cuts and stitches along natural lines in his face as well," Dr. Taylor said. "I'm very pleased with the results."

"Oh good," Shannon breathed.

"What's that mean?" Jethro asked, completely lost.

"It means that the scarring from this operation should be minimal. He's got a wire mesh—kind of like a screen—surrounding the bone that they were able to graft from the cadaver. An allograft is a bone graft taken from a cadaver. Once the bones fuse to the newly implanted bone, Tony's bones should be able to grow with Tony's face—he shouldn't need more surgery," Shannon said. She glanced at the doctors to make sure she was explaining it right and smiled when they nodded.

Jethro smiled and let out a long breath. "All of that sounds very promising," he said, looking from Shannon to the eye doctor. "What about his vision?"

"I did a light sensitivity test with him before I stepped out here, and his eyes are responding normally to light—his pupils are constricting and dilating as they should be. We won't know about his peripheral vision until he wakes up and we can test what he can see," Dr. Kristopher said.

"How long before the bandages come off?" Shannon wanted to know.

"We're actually going to use a mask with him, one that blocks messages to his nerves for several days. It will allow him to blink, but not squint, and will keep the muscles in his face entirely immobile for a period of five days," Dr. Taylor said. "On the fifth day I will remove the stitches to minimize his scarring. I will replace the stitches with steri-strips for several more days to continue holding everything in place."

"That doesn't seem long enough to leave the stitches in," Gibbs said. "When I've had stitches in the past I've had to leave them in for longer than five days."

"We remove them after five days with reconstructive surgeries to help minimize scarring. In five days time the incisions will be closed and the stitches can be safely removed," Dr. Taylor said.

"How many stitches are there?" Shannon asked.

"I made an incision that was two and a half inches long. With pediatric facial reconstruction we typically assign twelve stitches per inch, so he has thirty stitches."

"Can we see him?" Jethro asked. It felt like a hundred years had passed since the early hours of the morning when they'd kissed Tony and held his hand until he fell asleep with the help of the first layer of anesthesia.

"Absolutely," Dr. Kristopher said. "Now we are going to keep him asleep until tomorrow, mainly to keep him still. With the mask on, he'll be able to wake up, but we're going to have him on a liquid diet for a few days since he can't move the muscles in his face. We're going to keep him pretty heavily medicated until the mask comes off. He'll be dopey but awake. I would advise you during this time, to keep the number of visitors to a minimum, and keep the excitement at bay. Tony will likely be frustrated that he can't use his face muscles at all, but doing so would cause some pain."

"We'll tell everyone to stay away until the stitches come out," Shannon said, glancing at Jethro who nodded in agreement.

"It will be just a few minutes before he's in the recovery ward and you can join him there."

Jethro and Shannon returned to the waiting room and each of them breathed a sigh of relief. Jethro sank onto one of the couches and Shannon sat down close to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Can we be done with surgeries and hospital visits for a while now?" Jethro asked softly. "I just wanna take my kid home and get my other kid back home and…and just…just live. I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?"

Shannon sighed and shook her head, her lips thin. "I don't think that's too much to ask at all, baby. Not at all."

xxx

Jackson Gibbs was washing the windows on the front of his store when he heard the phone ring. He glanced inside and saw his stock boy moving towards the phone. Nodding to himself, he turned back to his task. A moment later, Allen poked his head outside. "Jack? Phone for you sir."

"Don't call me sir," Jackson grumped, dumping the mop back into the bucket. "I work for a living." The bell on the door tinkled as it closed behind him and he picked up the phone. "This is Gibbs," he answered.

_"Hi Dad,"_ Jethro said.

"Leroy! Son! How are you? How's Tony? How did the operation go?"

_"It went really well Dad. We're waiting to go in to see him now, but the doctors said everything went fine. They did some sort of bone graft and put a piece of bone into his face so there won't be the deformity from the gunshot wound."_

"What about his vision?" Jackson's voice grew quieter with this question.

_"Don't know yet. He's asleep until tomorrow to keep him still…once he starts wakin' up they're gonna test his peripheral vision. They said his eyes are reacting normally to light stimulation which doc said means he can see things in front of him fine most likely. We'll just have to see…it's a waiting game."_

"Always is," Jackson said. "Always is."

_"How's Kelly?"_

"She's with her grandmother today, but I had her yesterday. You've got quite a fireball on your hands Leroy!"

_"That I do,"_ Jackson could hear the smile in his son's voice, the fondness._ "She's quite a gal. She's so protective of Tony. You should see the two of them together. They're two peas in a pod."_

"You've done well for yourself son," Jackson praised. "You have two amazing children."

_"Thanks Dad,"_ Jethro said quietly._ "Well I need to go call JoAnne too. Just wanted to give you a quick update."_

"When should we head that way Jethro?"

_"Tony's going to be kept pretty doped up for five days. They said no visitors during that time. Shannon or I will be in his room the entire time though, so he won't ever be alone, but the doctors said no excitement, and no visitors."_

"Let's see, today's Tuesday, five days from now would be Sunday. What if we plan to head out that way in about a week?" All their plans had been altered when Tony was injured and the dates were rearranged. They were all struggling to keep everything straight, be patient with one another, and just take one day at a time, doing the best they could.

_"Sounds good to me. We're in LA for now, at the big hospital up here, but we are hoping to be out of the hospital in a week's time."_

"Are you back in your house yet?"

_"Yes, got moved in last week. It's nice to be home, and the contractors did good work. They got rid of my creaky fourth step!"_

"That'll make it easier for me to sneak upstairs and be nosey," Jackson said with a chuckle.

_"Not funny Dad,"_ Jethro deadpanned._ "Not funny."_

xxx

Tony blinked his eyes open slowly and then stretched and yawned deeply. He was surprised that his head didn't hurt, surprised that his eye didn't seem to have any lasting effects from the surgery. His eyes didn't have that residual itchiness that they'd had ever since he'd ruptured the blood vessels in his eyes. He pushed himself up slowly in bed and squinted in the dim lighting. It bothered him that there was no one in the room with him. He wondered if he was allowed to get out of bed, but decided for now he'd stay where he was. He didn't want to get into trouble for being somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. He reluctantly laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

Eventually though, the urge to go pee became strong, and Tony knew he needed to get up. He sat up, surprised now that his leg was not hurting. A glance down showed his leg was scar free, perfectly straight—as though nothing had ever happened to injure it. He wondered at this, but chose not to question it. It was beginning to bother him quite a lot that he couldn't find his mommy and daddy—Shannon and Jethro had promised to stay with him the whole time! Where were they? Tony swung his legs over the side of the bed and was surprised at how near to the ground the bed was…almost as near to the ground as his bed in the garage at his mean-daddy's house had been. What the heck was going on?

"Dah…" his voice didn't want to work and cracked horribly on the single syllable that he forced out of his mouth. He frowned and swallowed hard and tried again. "Dah…" Something was wrong! Why couldn't he speak? Deciding now that he needed to go for help—because things were obviously not right here—Tony stood up. His legs immediately buckled under him and he let out a frantic breath as he fell face first onto the ground and everything went dark.

xxx

In the early morning hours in the hospital room, Jethro and Shannon were dozing fitfully, watching over their heavily medicated, sleeping child. Shannon was on the piece of furniture that the hospital insisted was a couch, while Jethro was in the chair that was allegedly a recliner. The stiff plastic vinyl was sticky in the summer heat, despite the air conditioning in the room, making the sleeping arrangements uncomfortable for the two young parents.

Jethro scooted in his chair and groaned when the cushion made noise—again. "Damn hospital furniture," he grumped, shifting again, as though daring the chair to protest.

Across the room on the couch, Shannon murmured her assent. She was mostly asleep, but heard her husband's grumping in the chair and sniffed in agreement. "Trade ya," she mumbled. "Back hurts."

Jethro perked right up at that. "Trade with me," he agreed. "Chair's noisy as hell but it's not too uncomfortable." Shannon sniffed again, still mostly asleep and Jethro sat the recliner up and stood up. "Babe?" he walked over to where she was asleep and knelt beside her. He brushed her hair off of her forehead and kissed her skin softly, before dropping a light kiss onto her slightly parted lips. "Wake upppp," he murmured against her mouth.

Shannon groaned and blinked up at him. "Wha…want?" she yawned. "Doin?"

Jethro slid a hand up under her shoulders and scooped her up. "Go get in the chair Darlin'," Jethro said softly. "It'll help your back not hurt." Shannon's back sometimes gave her trouble—had ever since she'd gotten pregnant with Kelly. Jethro did everything he could to help her back to not hurt. Shannon stumbled sleepily to the chair and Jethro helped her get situated. She was asleep almost instantly, a sigh of relief and relaxation pressing through her lips as sleep claimed her. He watched her sleep for a few moments before taking up her spot on the couch. It took about two minutes before he understood the pain in Shannon's back that likely had nothing to do with her former childbirthing experience. "Jesus God this thing hurts," he mumbled moodily.

About two minutes after that, Jethro unfolded his long legs from the tiny couch and rolled up to a sitting position. He put his head in his hands and huffed out a long, loud breath. He stood up and paced the length of the room once, turned, and paced the length of the room back. Jethro tried not to think of the way being in this room on this night reminded him of being in a room very similar to this the day that Tony got shot by his father in the courtroom. His father…if it wasn't for Senior, none of this would have happened. If it wasn't for Senior, Tony wouldn't have ever had his leg broken, he wouldn't have ever gotten shot, wouldn't have ever needed his eye socket reconstructed…Tony, Jethro, and Shannon would not be here—they would be at home, in their own beds, feeling fine—if it weren't for Senior.

Gibbs continued pacing, getting more angry by the minute. The more he paced, the angrier he got. He rubbed his hands over his face and tried to remain calm, fearful that the angry energy he was exuding would wake up his child. In the semidarkness he didn't see the handle that was used to crank the head of the bed up and down, and he cracked his shin on it with a loud thump.

"Sonofabitch," he groaned, rubbing a hand over his injured leg and glaring at the offending crank. He glanced at Tony, making sure he hadn't disturbed him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before stepping up to Tony's bed, taking in the sight of his little boy. Tony's eyes were bandaged and the mask was firmly secured over his face. Because he had the mask covering most of his face, the doctors had slipped a nasal canula on him for added comfort. "My poor baby boy," Gibbs murmured softly. He picked up Tony's hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of the boy's hand. Tony was quiet, sleeping peacefully and undisturbed by the commotion in the room.

Jethro watched Tony sleep for several minutes, wondering if he was dreaming, hoping that if he was, the dreams were peaceful. A nurse came into the room and checked his vitals. Jethro watched as she checked his blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturations, the whole time making notes on Tony's chart. A couple of minutes after she entered the room quietly she ducked back out and the family was left alone again. Jethro wondered if Kelly was sleeping, and tried not to worry about her being so far from home without them. It wasn't the first time she'd stayed with the grandparents alone, but it was the first time in such a stressful situation that she'd been away from them. In a time when Jethro wanted to circle the wagons, he was frustrated that his family was separated. Jethro set Tony's hand back on the bed and turned away, resuming pacing.

He paced for quite some time until he found that he'd finally grown sleepy. Thinking maybe he could settle down and try to get some sleep, Jethro sat back down on the couch and leaned against the backrest. He yawned and closed his eyes and had just dozed off when he heard Tony suck in a desperate gulp of air, followed by the eeriest, smothered sounding groan that he'd ever heard from his child. Jethro's eyes popped open and he was on his feet in an instant. Hitting the button to call the nurse, Jethro hurried to Tony's side. It was difficult to tell if Tony was actually awake or not—having his eyes covered and the muscles in his face frozen made it challenging to tell. But Jethro knew his boy well, and he could tell by the increased tension in his muscles that if he wasn't already awake, then he would be awake soon.

"Tony," he spoke softly. "Just relax baby boy, it's ok. Daddy and Mommy are right here. You're safe. It's alright. Just rest."

The nurse came in the room, concern on her features. Shannon woke up when she heard the door open. Realizing what was happening, she was immediately on her feet. "What's going on?" she asked.

"He…made a weird sound," Jethro said. Tony wasn't moving around or making noise now, so he wasn't sure if he was awake or not. "I'm not sure he's awake, but he's tense—look at him."

Indeed, Little Tony's entire body seemed to be wound tightly with tension that could not be expressed. His little leg was still in the external fixator (but would likely be coming off before they returned home), his head was swathed in bandages and he couldn't move his face.

"Try to get him to respond to you," the nurse said gently. "We need to work out if he's awake or not, and if he's feeling any pain."

"Well something is tensing him up," Shannon said. She moved to the other side of Tony's bed across from Jethro. "Tony? Baby it's Mommy. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

There was a pause, then a faint squeeze. Jethro breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled. "Hey buddy," he said softly, his voice brimming with affection. "Daddy's got your other hand. We're right here with you ok?"

Tony squeezed Jethro's hand tightly, even as he quit squeezing Shannon's. Shannon spoke back up. "Tony I know it's scary right now, but they've got your face fixed so your eye won't hurt ok? I need to find out how you're feeling ok? But I don't want you to try to move your head. So I'm going to ask you a question, and if the answer is yes, then I want you to squeeze my hand. If the answer is no, then I want you to give me five, ok?"

Tony squeezed his mommy's hand. He was so relieved to find that he wasn't alone after all. He didn't understand why he couldn't see though—he thought that the surgery was supposed to make him be able to see better! He couldn't see ANYTHING! He tried to talk, but couldn't move his mouth, and his words came out horribly garbled and unintelligible.

"It's alright Tony," Jethro said softly in his ear. Sometimes it was like Daddy knew what he was thinking. Tony rolled his head towards his daddy and suddenly a fiery knifing pain exploded in his head and a shuddery cry escaped his lips. "Hey, hey easy!" his daddy's voice stayed calm, and right in his ear. "Don't try to move just yet. You had surgery, remember?" Tony squeezed his daddy's hand. "Good boy. Now. It's going to hurt some, just like your leg did after we fixed it ok? But…but it's going to get better ok?" Tony squeezed again. "Daddy's got your six, sweet boy," the words washed over Tony like a warm blanket and he would have smiled if he'd been able.

Jethro smiled when he saw his boy visibly relax. The nurse took a step closer. "Are you hurting Tony?" Tony hesitated and then squeezed both of his parents' hands.

"Yes," they both replied.

The nurse chuckled. "I'll go get you something for the pain, Baby Doll," she said. She patted his ankle. "I'll be right back."

Jethro leaned down and ruffled Tony's hair—the only part of his head that was visible and not bandaged. "Gonna be ok now, Littlest," he murmured. "We've got you."

"We love you Tony," Shannon said softly.

Tony squeezed their hands back gently and tried to relax, happy knowing that he wasn't alone. He had his Mommy and Daddy with him and was safe. They had his six. He could go to sleep.

xxx

It wasn't long before the bandages came off and Tony was blinking weakly in the sunlit hospital room. It took a short amount of time for Tony's vision to clear and once it did he smiled weakly up at his parents, both of whom were right by his side, and smiling brightly at his unveiling.

"He looks good, doesn't he?" Shannon said softly. "His face won't have but a tiny, barely visible scar."

Jethro nodded. "Lookin' good there, buddy," he said to Tony.

Tony smiled. His face still hurt some, but he was happy that the doctor had taken his mask off and had taken the bandages off of his eyes. He didn't like not being able to see. It scared him.

Jethro and Shannon had both noticed that Tony had seemed to be especially timid and anxious while his eyes were bandaged, and they each wondered about this, but so far hadn't brought it up. It worried them that Tony hadn't really called out for anyone when he was awake—he hadn't tried to reassure himself that he was not alone. He'd laid there quietly, not making a lot of sound until one of them noticed he was awake. Once they noticed this, the two young parents made a concerted effort to keep almost constant physical contact with their little son. They didn't want him to be afraid, and experience had told them that Tony, often times, would not ask for comfort. He didn't expect it. He took it when it was offered, but he didn't ask for it.

The doctor was disappointed to report that there was no change in Tony's peripheral vision. It seemed as though the peripheral blindness would become permanent—though his vision had brightened a bit—he could see shapes and colors in his periphery, but that was all. Until something was almost directly in front of him, he couldn't make heads or tails of what it was.

"He won't be able to play heavy contact sports such as football or hockey," Dr. Kristopher told them. The other players could use his blind side to their advantage and either cause him harm or foul up a play he's making.

"We don't even know if he likes sports yet," Jethro said. "That's a shame though, that he won't be able to play. What about other sports?"

"I think things like track and field, swimming, things of that nature would be better suited to him."

The Gibbses thanked the doctor, each of them wondering what the future would hold.

xxx

Before Tony was released from the hospital, he was visited by two more people—Julie, his physical therapist, and Dr. Trexler, his orthopedist. Dr. Trexler watched Tony perform the exercises that Julie had been doing with him. The doctor felt as though Tony was ready to have the external fixator removed from his leg.

"Let's go ahead and get this off Tony," Dr. Trexler smiled kindly. "What do ya say?"

Tony blinked and his face filled with trepidation. He looked nervously at Jethro standing next to the bed. "Will it hurt?" he asked softly.

"Nope," the doctor said. "You'll feel a small pulling sensation, but it won't hurt. I'll be very careful." He pulled a small wrench out of the pocket of his doctor's coat.

Tony's eyes widened, but he didn't speak. Jethro's eyes widened as well. "Are you not going to use any anesthesia?" he asked.

"He doesn't need to," Shannon said gently. "The bones don't have any nerves in them. So Tony will feel the pin slide out, but it won't hurt. May feel a bit strange though, kiddo," she said to Tony.

Tony nodded. "Can I's walk after you takes this off?"

Dr. Trexler smiled. "I want you to use a walker for a while until those muscles in your legs get built up again."

"Will that hurt?" Tony asked.

Julie stepped to the doorway and pulled a walker inside that she'd parked just on the other side of the door. It looked like a three-sided cage made out of metal pipes. There were tennis balls on the feet of it. "This is a walker Tony. You stand here like this," she leaned over and demonstrated, "and when you walk it helps you keep your balance. We don't want you falling on that leg. That might hurt really bad ok?"

"Ok," Tony said. "I be careful a not falled down."

xxx

Jethro called Jackson to let them know that they'd be returning home the next day. Jackson, JoAnne and Kelly had flown in that afternoon and were at the Gibbs' house getting everything ready for the rest of the family's return. Kelly was brimming with excitement, picking flowers for her mommy, drawing pictures for Tony, getting everything he'd need ready on his lap tray and the coffee table near the couch. She fluffed Tony's pillows and yanked and tugged on his blanket until it was smooth and not wrinkled. The two grandparents watched with proud hearts as their granddaughter overcame her frustrations of having a brother who needed extra help, and she pitched in to be of as much assistance as she could be.

On Wednesday morning, eight days after Tony's surgery, and three weeks after he was admitted to the hospital, Jethro, Shannon and Tony arrived home. Jethro pulled the car into the driveway and put it in park. Tony was dozing in the backseat, still feeling the effects of the dose of painkillers he'd been given earlier in the morning. Shannon grabbed their bags while Jethro unfolded the walker and set about getting Tony out of the car. Jethro and Shannon had kept Tony being able to walk a bit a secret—they wanted to surprise the grandparents and Kelly when they got home.

Kelly whooped when she heard the car pull in and raced out the door. Jackson and JoAnne got to the porch right behind her, all of them watching as the other half of them got out of the car. Jackson moved to help Shannon with the bags, and JoAnne stayed with Kelly on the porch, instructing her to stay out of the way as Tony came inside. Jackson's eyes widened when he saw Jethro unfolding the walker. He raised his gaze to his son who winked at him. Jethro opened the back door of the SUV and shook Tony's shoulder lightly. "Wake up buddy," he said gently. "We're home."

Tony blinked his eyes open and squinted for a moment, trying to get them to focus and then smiled up at his daddy. "We at our house now?"

"Yep," Jethro said with an affirmative nod. "We're home! Wanna go inside? They built us new stairs."

"I wanna see," Tony said.

"Wanna try to walk? Show Grandma and Grandpa and Kelly your surprise?"

Tony nodded. Jethro helped him to climb down and steadied him on his feet. The past few days had involved lots of intensive training from Julie on how to properly use the walker, and how to walk in such a way that Tony's hips were in the correct alignment. He'd spent so much time limping that he needed to reteach his hips how to stay in alignment. He was working on not letting them swing off to one side, as was his old habit. There were many things to learn, and Tony found himself to be quite tired much of the time. The doctor told Jethro and Shannon that this was "normal" and the he "would be tired" because he "just had surgery." So Tony just did what he could and if he got tired he took a rest.

Jethro guided Tony and his walker slowly around the car's door. Kelly and JoAnne's eyes widened when they saw Tony walking. Jackson turned to watch and Shannon reappeared in the doorway with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Tony! You're walking! Your brace is gone!" Kelly exclaimed.

Tony stopped walking and looked up at his big sister, a smile forming on his lips. "I gotted my leg fixed-ed Kelly!" he exclaimed.

Kelly raced down the steps and nearly knocked them both over in the hug she pounced him with. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you," she said. "I know you can't help it that you need some help sometimes."

Tony looked a bit confused, but didn't voice it. He smiled at Kelly and hugged her tightly with one arm. "I missed you Kelly!" His other hand clung tightly to his walker and his leg wobbled a bit. Jethro noticed. "Let's head inside," he ordered gently. He knew the kids were glad to see each other, but he also knew that Tony tended to tire out quickly. "We can continue the reunion inside."

TBC…


	30. Anniversary

**Author's Note: This story's only got one chapter to go! Never fear though, I am already hard at work being devious and scheming up our next adventure in this series. I'll have more information on it posted at the end of the next chapter. **

_Thanks as always to my fantastic beta, who always takes time to look out for Little Tony, despite her crazy busy life. Gotgoats you are awesome! Love you! _

_**Warning: Spoilers for Daddy's Boy. Mild mention of sexual abuse and violence.**_

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Chapter 30: Anniversary**

JoAnne Fielding stood in the shower; the water rushing over her body was just a touch too warm. It felt good to be home—she loved her daughter and her beautiful family, but it was always nice to return home to your own shower after a long trip away. She let out a shaky breath—breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and felt herself relax for the first time since…since when? There had been a tightness, a tenseness since…

Since she'd met Little Tony for the first time.

She thought back over the events of the past year—of all of the things that had taken place, things that had drawn her family closer together than it had ever been. And at the center of it all? There was a tiny, six year old boy. He was missing one of his front teeth—a new "big boy tooth" growing in on the other side. He had a fading scar on his face where his biological father had nearly taken his young life. He had scars on his legs where his leg was repaired after his father broke it repeatedly and never had it set by a physician. He wandered—literally wandered—into her daughter's life, and from the moment Jethro had lain eyes on him, had been a member of their family. Her little granddaughter was fiercely protective of him—frustrated by him sometimes, but she was the only one allowed to get frustrated with Tony. Everyone else needed to have the utmost patience and respect for Tony, or the little girl would literally scratch your eyes out if given the opportunity.

JoAnne's thoughts drifted to the moment when she'd met Little Tony. He'd come into the kitchen at Shannon's house with Jethro…he looked so pitiful. He'd still looked half-starved, and he looked exhausted. Later she would learn that this was because of the excruciating pain that he was in most of the time, and not because he was overly rambunctious or causing trouble. She still felt sick every time she considered the way she'd treated him. When had her heart become so closed off, so guarded, so walled up that she could not even find it in herself to be kind to a small child? He'd never asked anything of her—had only been the freely giving little spirit that he still was—the little precious one who would rather give away than receive, who would give up his own bed and sleep outside in the winter time, just to make members of his family feel more comfortable.

The older woman's heart swelled with pride when she recalled her daughter, a mighty tigress, a fierce woman who would protect her only son with every breath in her body—who would not ever willingly let anything or anyone hurt him. She remembered the way her daughter threw her out of the house on Christmas, threatened to sever all ties with her for life if she didn't straighten up her act. JoAnne gained a healthy level of respect for her daughter that day. It wouldn't have done for her to have continued down the path she had been on. JoAnne would have become a very lonely woman if she had not heeded her daughter's advice. The events that followed Christmas…the small moments she'd been included in were priceless to her now.

She was so proud of Tony for all he had accomplished. The road was a long one, and JoAnne was not foolish enough to think that Tony was finished with all of the challenges he would face. There were still many things left for the child to overcome—things that only age and life experience could bring to the fore. JoAnne wiped a hand over her face and was surprised when she felt tears there. She hadn't even realized that she was crying. The tears came harder then—the dam was burst and quiet sobs overwrought the woman. She cried for her family that had suffered so much in the last year, and she cried for the strength they all had. She cried for this precious child who'd suffered so much, and her tears became happy when she thought of how fortunate he'd been to meet Jethro and Shannon. It had been a long year…they'd come a long way.

She couldn't wait to see what the next year would bring for all of them.

xxx

Two weeks after Tony got out of the hospital, Jethro had to return to work. It made everyone sad to see Daddy have to go back to work because they'd all enjoyed him being off work with them for the whole summer.

A couple of days after starting back to work, Jethro returned home around dinner time. He parked the car and just as he got out, he saw a tennis ball roll past. Raising an eyebrow, he closed the car door and looked around. A moment later he heard the jingle of tags on a collar as Sasha came bounding happily around the house. She snatched the ball up off the ground, yipped at Jethro around the ball in her mouth and then turned and ran back around the house, tail wagging the whole way. Jethro set his backpack down on the steps with his keys and followed the dog around the house. Along the way he saw Archie, the Gibbs' reclusive cat, huddled against the side of the house. He disappeared from time to time, sometimes would stay gone for days, but always seemed to make his way back home. He knelt and stroked his fingers down the cat's spine and the cat arched into his touch. Smiling, he stood up and resumed his quest to find the dog. Before he reached the back of the house though, he heard Tony's giggle and a moment later the ball came sailing down the side of the house again, landing right at Jethro's feet.

Jethro picked up the ball before Sasha could and he frowned at it. The ball had an X shaped cross cut into it, making a hole that would fit perfectly on…

"Tony Gibbs!" Shannon's voice echoed from the back of the house. "I have told you several times now that you need to keep that tennis ball on your walker! It keeps you from sliding with it! It isn't safe!"

Jethro rounded the house just in time to see Tony rolling the other "foot" of the walker dejectedly in his hands, wishing to throw it. "Hey Buddy," Jethro said, smiling at Tony when he looked up.

Tony smiled shyly, and the frames of his glasses caught the sunlight. "Hi Daddy. You comed home for a day?"

"Yep, I'm home for the day. What ya doin?"

Tony looked slyly at the ball still in his hands, then shrugged sadly. "Getting into trouble some, I think," he said softly.

Jethro knelt before him. Tony was sitting in one of the yard chairs, walker beside him, but tipped on its side, and the one of the tennis balls on the feet of the walker was conspicuously missing. "What ya doin' to get in trouble?"

Sasha returned to Tony and the ball in his lap then nosed it playfully. When Tony didn't immediately throw it, Sasha collapsed down on her front paws, haunches in the air, and a purely joyful smile on her face—she was all but begging Tony to throw the ball.

"Ooohhh," Jethro said. "I get it. Is this what you're doing?" He threw the ball hard, down the side of the house.

Sasha yipped happily and bounded off after it. A moment later, Shannon burst out the back door. "Young man I have told you several times now that those balls are fo—"

"That was me, Shannon," Jethro interrupted gently. "I threw it the last time."

Shannon stopped. "Oh I'm sorry Tony," she apologized. She hurried down the steps and offered a hug to the small boy who looked so sad, and so guilty, sitting in her backyard. "Mommy goofed," she said. "I'm so sorry I upset you."

Tony shrugged and looked down. "I did bad," he whispered. "I a served it."

"No," Shannon said. "You didn't do bad. And even if you were the one who threw the ball after I asked you not to, it wouldn't mean that you deserved to be treated badly. Even if you don't always follow the rules…Tony we'll still love you just as much. And if we have to take away a privilege or call a time out for you, it doesn't mean we don't love you. It means we DO love you."

Tony looked up at her. That sounded different from anything he'd ever heard before. "It's a cause I a snivelin' little shit?" he asked pitifully, his lower lip trembling.

Jethro turned around and walked in a circle, muttering something about a 'sonofabitch' and rubbing the back of his neck. Shannon shook her head. "You are absolutely NOT a sniveling little shit. Hear me? Your mean-daddy said those awful things to you, but they were lies Sweetheart. They aren't true. He was wrong. You're wonderful. And you're just a kid. And sometimes kids goof up—just like mommies goof up. It's because we're human and we make mistakes. I made a mistake by fussing at you before I had all the facts. I broke rule number eight," she said ruefully.

"What's a rule number eight?" Tony asked.

Jethro snickered. "Don't take anything for granted. Mommy thought she knew the whole situation because she didn't know I was home yet."

"Oh," Tony said. "I sorry I maked you mad Mommy," he said glumly.

"I'm not mad Babydoll," Shannon said. "But I don't think it's a good idea to use _those _balls to play with Sasha. Maybe you and Daddy could run to the store and get some balls to play with Sasha?" she suggested. "There's time before dinner."

"You sure?" Jethro asked. "I don't wanna hold up dinner—I'm as hungry as an elephant!"

"I'll have it on the table when you and Tony-Tee get back," she told her boys with a smile. "How's that sound?"

"What do ya say, Tony? You wanna go get some tennis balls that we _can _use to play with Sasha?"

Tony thought about it only for a moment then nodded. Jethro smiled. "Good man. Let's go!" He helped Tony put the tennis ball back on his walker and then set it upright. Then Jethro watched as the young one pushed himself slowly to his feet and began walking along behind him. "Look at you, Mr. Lightning!" Jethro exclaimed. "Look at how fast you're going!"

Tony didn't feel like he was going fast at all. He felt like he was moving at a snail's pace.

It didn't take them long to get in the car and drive to the local store where they bought a whole bag of tennis balls for Tony to play with Sasha with. While they were checking out, Tony's stomach suddenly rumbled and he giggled. Jethro feigned shock and his eyes widened. "Do you have a monster in your belly?" he asked, dramatically poking Tony in the tummy.

"No silly!" Tony giggled harder. "I needs a tummy-nom."

Jethro raised an eyebrow. "What is a tummy-nom?" he asked.

"You know, it when you eat something, and your tummy say, 'nom nom nom!'" Tony said, giggling harder. "My tummy is hungwy!"

Jethro paid the cashier who was chuckling right along with them.

xxx

Tony proudly showed Shannon the bag of tennis balls that he and Jethro picked out for Sasha. There were blue balls and green balls and pink ones and orange ones and yellow ones. Shannon praised him for his selection and gave him her blessing to go outside and play ball with the dog while she finished up dinner. It was nearly ready.

Jethro stood at the window in the kitchen watching Tony play with Sasha. He smiled and shook his head when the dog bounded up to her boy, nearly knocking the whole chair over, licking his face, dropping the ball into his lap, tail wagging wildly. "He's so happy," Jethro murmured. "Shannon," he said a bit louder. "Come and see."

Shannon joined Jethro at the window and smiled at what she saw. She leaned against her husband, her rock, and wrapped her arms around his middle. Jethro draped an arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on her head. "I love you Mrs. Gibbs," he said into her hair.

Shannon smiled up at Jethro. "I love you too Gunny."

xxx

It was a late summer evening, the sky was red and brilliantly colored in the distance, the smell of the ocean was heavy in the air, and the Gibbs family decided it was the perfect evening to go out for ice cream. Once the dinner dishes were finished and loaded up into the dishwasher, Shannon, Jethro, and the kids loaded up into Jethro's SUV and they headed out towards the ice cream shop. As they drove along in the fading daylight, Tony saw something out the window. Something colorful and magical looking.

"Daddy what's at?" he pointed at the brightly colored lights in the distance.

"What's what?" Jethro was driving and couldn't see where Tony was pointing.

"The lights!" Tony exclaimed, tapping the glass with his finger.

"Kelly can you see what Tony's pointing at?" Jethro asked, merging into another lane of traffic.

"I see it but I don't know what it is!" Kelly said. "But it's all different colors! And it's moving!"

Shannon turned around and craned her neck to see where the kids were pointing. "Oh! I see!" she said. "Look honey," she pointed so Jethro could see. "There's the ferris wheel! The fair is back in town!"

Jethro glanced over and saw the lights and was immediately thrown back in time.

_**Flashback**_

_The Gibbs family was leaving the state fair. It was a warm, late summer night and seven year old Kelly was asleep, head on Shannon's shoulder, her little legs wrapped around her middle. It had been the perfect day. That morning, Jethro had signed the papers for his reenlistment for another four years in the Marines._

_As they neared the car they heard something rattling a metal trashcan lid. Jethro glanced around, and his eyes widened when he saw the source of the sound. There was a little boy on the ground near the trashcans. It looked like he'd fallen over, causing the noise that Jethro and Shannon had heard. He was alone, and, going by his appearance, had been alone for some time._

"_Go to the car," Jethro told Shannon quietly, handing her the keys and the large stuffed animal Kelly had won. She looked at him fearfully and headed for the car without a word._

_Gibbs stepped closer, not sure what the situation was, but trying to gather as much information as he could. He reached out a hand and jerked back, surprised, when the child screeched suddenly and flinched away._

"_Hey easy," Gibbs said softly, his voice just above a whisper. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Take it easy son," he whispered._

_To say the child was dirty would be an understatement. It was nearly impossible to even tell the race of the child because of all of the dirt and filth caked on him. The little one had matted hair that hung in limp clumps and the rags the child wore were in tattered ruins._

"_W-whatchu wan' wih me?" Suspicious green eyes stared up at Jethro and for a moment he was floored by how old this young child looked._

"_I heard you fall…I just wanted to see if you were alright," Gibbs said gently. "I wanted to see if I could help you."_

"_I's fine," the child said, and turned away._

_**End Flashback**_

Tony noticed the funny look on Jethro's face. "Daddy? Daddy you ok?" he asked softly.

"I'm ok Buddy," Jethro responded. "I was just…just thinking."

"What you thinking?"

"I was thinking about the night we found you at the fair," Jethro said.

Tony's eyes rounded and he looked back at the lights that now didn't seem quite so inviting. He remembered being at the fair. He was tired and hot, hungry—starving! And thirsty. Worst of all—and he shuddered at the memory—Tony was all alone. He'd had no one in the world.

"That where you finded me?" he asked softly.

"Do you remember us finding you Tony?" Shannon asked quietly.

_**Flashback**_

_It was a horrible day. Tony had only wanted to see what all the fuss about the fair was. He'd heard some people talking about how fun it was, and he thought it looked like fun from outside where he was standing. He'd tried to walk inside to see what everyone liked about it so much, but an old lady with gray hair and a big frown had yelled at him and told him he had to have a mommy and daddy to get to go to the fair. Realizing that there was no way possible for him to ever get into the fair now, the child had turned and forlornly made his way back the way he'd come._

_He didn't feel good. He was hot and his skin was all pink and scratchy feeling. His tummy was hurting, but Tony thought that was maybe because he was so hungry. The last thing he'd had to eat was…a bit of some kind of sandwich that Tony had found in a garbage can…he'd eaten that and it hadn't been enough—he was still hungry once he was finished, and later his tummy had hurt terribly. Tony could feel sweat running down his face and down his back—it'd been hot in his box, but never like this. When it got very hot, his parents would throw him in the basement lots of times—it was colder down there. Darker too. _

_But all of that was done now. His father had gotten rid of him. Mommy had died. He didn't know what to do. Sometimes he wished he could just go to sleep and never wake up. When he slept he dreamed of finding a new family—a family that would love him and praise him and tell him what a smart boy he was and how handsome he was. It was more than Tony ever dared to hope for, and he always felt a bit silly for dreaming such a thing when he woke up afterwards._

_Tony headed back to the garbage cans. Maybe there was something else in there now that he could find to eat. He was no stranger to eating out of garbage cans—he'd had to do it on occasion at his father's house. Some days, that was the only way he'd gotten anything to eat. Some days, everyone had forgotten to feed him. And some days everyone had just forgotten he even existed. He was digging around in the trash can, trying not to listen to the squeals and laughs of the happy people who were having so much fun, when his leg suddenly popped. He let out a gasp of pain and braced himself as he began to fall, knocking over the trash can and landing right in the middle of the pile of stinky trash. Great. _

_He heard people walking by as he struggled back to his feet, and he looked over. There was a man and a woman walking through the parking lot. The woman was carrying a kid with her, and Tony wondered what was wrong with the little girl. She wasn't moving at all. Had she gotten hurt? Suddenly to his horror, the people stopped walking. They looked over at him and then looked at each other. The man passed the woman something and then turned towards him._

_Tony felt a rush of panic. This man was huge! His face wasn't smiling, and he didn't look particularly friendly. Tony forced himself to his feet and struggled to regain his balance. The strange man was getting closer. Tony couldn't understand what this man was doing. The man walked right up to him, and suddenly his hand was coming towards Tony. Tony screeched in fear and flinched away. He didn't know this man, didn't know what the man wanted…but one thing Tony did know with absolute certainty—Tony did NOT want to be touched! He remembered the man from a few days earlier who had told him he'd give him food if he'd 'play with him.' Tony thought playing sounded like fun, but once he got done eating, the man had started to touch him with his hands, and put his lips on his neck and things that made Tony feel pretty uncomfortable. Finally though, the man had fallen asleep and Tony had crawled off the bed. They were in a hotel. Tony tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He let out a soft sigh and crawled up under the bed that the big man was sleeping on. He fell asleep under the bed and when he woke up later, the man was gone._

"_Hey easy," the strange man said softly, his voice just above a whisper. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Take it easy son," he whispered._

_Tony was so tired, and his body hurt and his leg felt like it was on fire. He just didn't feel like fighting anymore. "W-whatchu wan' wih me?" He raised suspicious green eyes to stare up at the stranger before him._

"_I heard you fall…I just wanted to see if you were alright," the stranger said gently. "I wanted to see if I could help you."_

"_I's fine," Tony said, and turned away. _

_He didn't think he wanted to let anyone else help him. People only wanted to hurt him and be mean to him. He remembered being in between two buildings one day while he was walking. He figured he was stinky because he hadn't had a bath since his father had thrown him out of the car. Some people walked by and looked at him with mean looking frowns on their faces. Other people walked by and then grabbed their noses because Tony smelled so bad. It made Tony feel horrible. He hated to be noticed—he especially hated to be noticed because of something bad like being stinky. But he was covered in dirt, and trash, and…and he'd accidentally messed his pants while he was sleeping last night, and he knew that didn't smell good either. A woman started to walk by him and then stopped. She was holding a cup in her hand. The woman looked at Tony, turned up her nose, and threw the contents of her cup all over him. "Disgusting," she muttered. "God it doesn't cost any money to be clean. Jesus," she'd said and walked on. Tony was now covered in some sort of blue liquid that was sticky and smelled funny._

_Tony didn't know what to do. The man said he was going to throw away his popcorn, and Tony was hopeful that he could maybe have some of it. Much to his dismay though, the man had said he could have the popcorn if Tony did something for him. People always wanted something. Tony resigned himself to hearing whatever it was this man wanted. Maybe he wasn't that hungry after all. But the man only wanted to talk to him. He asked him what his name was and where his mommy and daddy were. They talked a bit and Tony ate all the popcorn in the bag. He was surprised when the man gave him his drink. The man didn't seem so scary now. He said his name was Jethro and Tony thought that name sounded kind of funny. Then Jethro asked Tony about his leg and if it was hurt, and Tony told him that he'd fallen down and hurt it._

_Then Jethro did something that surprised Tony. He asked him if he would like to come with him. He said his wife was a nurse, and Tony wondered if that was the lady he'd been talking to a minute ago. Sometimes his father had women over who weren't his mommy. Tony didn't know what to do. The man seemed to be really nice…he didn't seem like he wanted to do any of that weird stuff to Tony that made him feel so yucky. He thought maybe it would be ok for him to go with Jethro and meet his wife. Jethro stood up then, and held out his hand and Tony reached a hesitant hand up and took it. _

"_C'mon, we'll get ya taken care of," Jethro said gently._

_Tony didn't know what that meant…he was hoping it was something good and not something scary. "I don't think I's ever been taken a care of a fore," Tony said thoughtfully as they walked along. "What's it like?"_

_Jethro stopped and glanced down at him. He had a funny look on his face. "Being taken care of…well it's nice. I think you might like it." _

_That spoken promise of good things to come, of not being hurt, of having someone who actually was taking the time to even talk to him overwhelmed the small boy so much that he impulsively hugged Jethro's legs._

_**End Flashback**_

"Tony?" Shannon's voice broke through Tony's quiet reverie. "Baby? You ok?"

"I's just thinkin'," Tony said softly, his eyes fixed on the lights from the fair. "I's thinkin' bout the day you's finded me."

Jethro and Shannon shared a look, each of them noticing the break in his speech that hadn't been there moments before. "Wanna tell us about it?" Jethro asked. "We know how we remember the day, but maybe you remember something different than we do?"

"I's a member being throwed outta the fair a cause I's din't have a mommy and a daddy no mores," Tony said. He stopped and took a deep breath.

"Think about your words, Sweetheart," Shannon said gently. "Try to get them to come out right."

"Sorry," Tony whispered. "And…I…I a member I was hungwy. I thought my tummy was gonna a splode! And I…I a member fallin' inna garbage can…and Jethro walking over to me and I was scareded."

"You were very scared," Jethro said, nodding in agreement. "I hope I didn't scare you worse?"

"Everybody had been mean to me," Tony whispered. "No one liked me. You was the first person ever a 'cept for Nita who was ever nice to me." He looked up at Jethro. "Why was you so nice to me? You's not always nice a strangers?"

"Well…" Jethro didn't know how to answer that. "I just…had a feeling…that maybe you needed someone to be nice to you. You looked so sad."

"I was sad," Tony said.

Jethro pulled into the ice cream shop. The car was mired in heavy silence. He turned off the engine and looked in his mirror at his two beautiful children. "What do ya say we go have a banana split to celebrate us being a family?" he suggested.

Tony's eyes lit up at the memory of the wonderful ice cream treat. Shannon and Kelly were already climbing out of the car. Jethro opened his door and leaned in to help him out when Tony suddenly wrapped his arms around Jethro's neck in a tight hug.

"I love you Daddy," he said softly, squeezing tighter and smiling when he felt his daddy return the squeeze. "I glad you are my daddy now."

"I'm glad too Tony," Jethro said, his throat choking with emotion. He squeezed a little tighter and breathed in the scent of his clean, safe, and loved little boy. "I'm glad too."

**To Be Continued With Epilogue…**


	31. Epilogue: All Better

**Author's Note:** A big thank you to all of you who have read, commented, made suggestions, shared ideas, alerted, and favorited this story! Your support is awesome—and is what keeps Little Tony going. At the end of the chapter I will have another author's note about the next story. Big thanks to my fantastically awesome, and super-dedicated beta reader Gotgoats, without whom this story would not have been possible. And now…the finale—I have attempted to answer all (or most hehe) of your questions. And I miiiiiiiight have left you with a couple more. Enjoy everybody, and thanks for reading!

**Warning: **Minor Character Death

**Breaks and Repairs  
><strong>**Epilogue: All Better**

Barbara Jarvis pulled into the quiet cemetery and parked her car. In the seat beside her was a lovely bouquet of flowers in a classy looking vase. She got out of the car slowly, moving as if she was much older than her 48 years. She walked around to the passenger side of the car and got the lovely flowers out of the car. Then, with a heavy heart, she turned and started up the small hill towards a very special stone.

It was hard to believe that her beloved Ruby was dead. More difficult to believe that she'd already been dead for nearly two months. She vividly remembered the day she got the call that a body had been located and that she and her husband needed to come and try to make an identification. Barbara would swear that a piece of her died that day too.

The sun was bright in the sky and the temperature was sweltering. The dog days of summer had set in and it seemed every day grew warmer than the one before it. Barbara sighed. Ruby loved the summer. She loved the heat and she loved being outdoors. All of her children loved it. She hated it. Hated it more now that it reminded her that her daughter wouldn't ever feel the sun on her face again. Her pretty face…so young…so smart…

Barbara set the vase of flowers on the ground at her daughter's grave. "Brought you some lovely flowers today," she said conversationally to a person who wasn't there. "I think you would especially like the color of the hibiscus flowers this year. They're especially bright." She sat down on the ground, pulled out some scissors and began to trim around the large stone that sat in front of her. "RUBY JARVIS" it declared, along with her date of birth and her date of death. Only 21 years old. Died so suddenly. So sad.

"They haven't caught your killer yet, Darling," Barbara said. "They think he's escaped to Mexico. The dirty bastard," she growled, wiping angry tears from her face. "I hope they find him. And I hope that when they do, he gets the same treatment you got. Oh my Ruby, darling I miss you so much!" Barbara sobbed quietly on the summer day, not noticing the warm breeze that swept past her like the gentlest of embraces.

**xxx**

"Hello?" Shannon answered the phone.

"_Shannon! It's Jewel!"_ Jewel was Scott's mom. Scott was Tony's best friend.

"Hi hon! What's going on?"

"_Well I was calling because Scott wanted to see if Tony could come to play this weekend. And I wanted to make sure you'd heard the news!"_

"What news? I'll talk to Jethro about this weekend and see if he's got anything planned when he gets home this afternoon."

"_The news about Bianca, Tyson and Sammy!" _ Sammy was the kid who'd led the other kids in beating Tony up back towards the beginning of the summer. They'd had a town meeting to set some ground rules about the way the children would treat each other.

"I haven't heard, Jewel. What happened?"

"_Sammy was reported for bullying another kid—up on the playground—he dislocated a little boy's shoulder when he twisted his arm,"_ Jewel said, her voice sounding pained. _"The Base Commander got wind of it. Tyson has been downgraded two ranks because of it! And the BC is forcing them to move off base!"_

"Reeeeeeally," Shannon breathed. "Holy cow that's just…wow…amazing," she said. "How soon do they have to move?"

"_He was reported day before yesterday,"_ Jewel continued chattering on. _"And today the moving van showed up in front of their house. The BC sent it. He's pissed. Bianca is furious."_

"Oh I'll bet so!" Shannon said. "So they didn't get any warning?"

"_They've been given five days to vacate the house,"_ Jewel said. _"It's unreal. I didn't think anyone would actually go through with that!"_

"Well I've heard of several families having to move off base…but I figured Bianca would reign her kid in before it came to that with them."

"_Guess not,"_ Jewel said. _"Too bad for them. Shoulda taught their kid to not be such a pain in the butt."_

"Yes," Shannon said, wondering what Jethro was hearing about it at work. Tyson was in Jethro's unit and caused nothing but trouble. "Yes, too bad for them, is right," she said.

**xxx**

Gabby woke up and stretched, pleased that she didn't feel pain the instant her eyes opened. She glanced around the room, thanking her lucky stars for the ten-thousandth time that Craig had been the one to find her and was the one who took care of her, stood by her, and had protected her and Jacob ever since. She pushed herself up in bed, easing into a sitting position. Her shoulder still ached some and her wrist was being slow to heal, but she was doing much better with her other injuries. Just yesterday she'd gotten the wires taken out of her jaw and was now upgraded to a soft-food diet instead of liquids only.

A glance at the clock told her it was still very early, but she didn't feel tired. She slid slowly out of bed, taking a minute to get her balance and then headed for the door. A glance in the crib on the other side of the room told her that Jacob was still sleeping soundly. He liked to eat as soon as he woke up, so she figured she'd go start his bottle. He usually woke up around 0600 ready to eat. As she headed towards the kitchen, she realized that Craig must still be sleeping too. She decided she'd make him some coffee—it wasn't much, but it was a small way of saying thanks. He hadn't pushed her at all for anything, hadn't complained, hadn't been anything but wonderful. Her heart skipped a beat whenever she thought of this quiet man. He lived simply, had a few friends, liked to stay home and read and watch movies, liked to just be. Gabby liked that too, she was discovering, and she liked it more when she could do it with Craig.

Once the coffee finished brewing, Gabby gathered her cup and the baby's bottle and went back to her room. Jacob was still sleeping soundly, so she decided to go peek in on Craig and see if he was still sleeping too. She opened his bedroom door softly and smiled. Craig was rolled on his side, hair smushed against his head, mouth open, and his hands dropped listlessly beside his face. He was such a good looking man…Gabby wished she didn't feel so scared when it came to getting close. The therapist she was seeing told her that it was perfectly normal to not want to have any physical contact after everything she'd been through. That didn't change the fact that she wanted to be able to get close to Craig. She wanted to know what he felt like, what he tasted like, what he looked like when he…Gabby sighed. It was still all so scary. But Craig was being wonderful. He wasn't pushing for anything, wasn't teasing her about anything. If she got scared they dealt with it. If she needed space he gave it to her. If she needed four showers in a day, Craig watched Jacob for her.

Sensing the door was open, Craig opened his eyes. "You ok?" he pushed himself to one elbow, eyes barely open and squinting in the dim early morning light.

"I'm fine," Gabby whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you."

Craig pushed himself up to sit in bed and rubbed a hand over his face. "It's ok," he said. "Really. It's fine."

Gabby stepped inside the bedroom. "I made coffee," she said, and offered him her cup. She drank her coffee just like he did—strong and black.

Craig took a slow sip and made a pleased, grateful sound. "That's good," he said. "Wanna come sit? We can watch Good Morning America together." He clicked on the television and patted the made up side of his queen-sized bed.

"Let me grab another cup and check on Jacob," she said and nodded. "I'd like that."

"We could share?" Craig offered. "It was yours to begin with?"

Gabby smiled. "I'll be right back," she said and hurried back up the hall. She stepped into her bedroom and ran a brush through her hair so she looked at least halfway presentable. She checked that Jacob was still sleeping, and went back to the kitchen. She put her hand on a coffee cup, but then stopped, a smile forming on her face.

Craig chuckled and shook his head when Gabby came back in the room. She was carrying the coffee pot carafe with her and a pot holder. "Thought maybe we could share," she said sheepishly. She set the coffee pot and the pot holder on the bedside table and sat down on the bed. She leaned against the headboard and looked over at him.

He offered her the cup and she took a sip out of it. "I think that's a brilliant idea," he said with a smile.

The happy moment was ruined a minute later when Jacob started making noise. Gabby started to get up, but Craig stopped her. "You stay put," he said, hopping out of bed. "I'll go get the cub and bring him back here with us." Gabby smiled as she watched him leave the room, and a moment later could hear him speaking to her son. "Good morning Tiger! How's my buddy doing this morning? Let's change your butt so we can go see what Mommy's doing? How's that sound? Good? Yeaaaaaaaah ok here we go…oh wow…that's…that's a STINKY one," Gabby chuckled at Craig's words. She listened to him continue his quiet commentary and a few minutes later smiled and said good morning to her little angel.

Gabby held out her hands for Jacob. "C'mere and see Mommy," she cooed to him.

"No!" Jacob said, and he clung to Craig. He was just beginning to use words to communicate. "Dada!"

Gabby's eyes widened. Craig's did too. They stared at each other for a long moment before Gabby sighed softly. "I wish Craig was your daddy, Sweetheart," she said regretfully.

Craig came over and sat down next to her. He tilted her face up with one finger and he smiled at her. "I wish I was Jacob's daddy too," he said softly.

Gabby smiled. How the hell was she supposed to not fall in love with this man if he acted this way?

**xxx**

On Saturday morning, Tony woke up and got to his feet slowly. He went to the bathroom and by the time he had finished doing his business, Jethro was at the top of the steps. He helped Tony get dressed—"It is twicky to stand on one foots and get dressed—'specially when I only have one foot!"—and then together they went down the stairs. They were just finishing up plates piled high with blueberry pancakes, when there was a knock on the door.

Shannon glanced at the clock and then at Jethro. "Who could that be?" she wondered. It wasn't even 10am yet.

Jethro shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "I'll go see." He walked to the door and blinked in surprise at who was on the other side.

"Good morning Mr. Gunny, sir," Griffin St. James said. It had been a quiet summer with Griffin being grounded from the field.

"Hello there Griffin," Jethro said. He was usually horrible at remembering names of kids in the neighborhood, but this one stood out in his mind for several reasons. "What can we do for you?"

"I um…I was wondering if Tony is awake yet?" he asked, looking at his shoes, one toe digging into the porch.

"Yes he is," Jethro said with a nod. "Come on inside and I'll call him for you."

Griffin sat down nervously on the futon and Jethro noticed then that the little boy was holding something in his hands. He walked to the kitchen where Shannon was scrubbing syrup off of Tony's face, despite the little boy's protests and flapping hands. He smiled. "Tony you have a visitor."

Tony blinked, shocked. "Me? Who would want to come see me?"

Jethro held out his hand and Shannon released him. "Griffin St. James," he said.

Tony stared up at his father in horror. "What does he want to come see me for?"

"I don't know," his daddy replied. "Maybe we should go see."

Tony followed Jethro into the living room where Griffin was still sitting on the couch. The little boy looked up when they came in and he smiled at Tony. "Hi Tony," he said.

"Hey," Tony said, hanging back close to his daddy, his hands tightly gripping his crutches.

"I um…I brought you this. It's a invitation to my birthday party," Griffin said nervously. "I dunno if you would want to come but uh…if you would like to…I'd like that," Griffin said. "I been awful and my mommy and my new doctor both told me I needed to make some new friends that were nicer. And well…you're the nicest kid I know," he told Tony. "I was wondering if we could maybe be friends?"

Tony looked at Griffin, not sure whether to trust him or not. He looked to Jethro for guidance, but Jethro didn't help him any. He sighed. "I think that would be ok. As long as you don't beat me up and make funs of me no more," Tony said.

"I'll be nice to you Tony," Griffin said, his voice almost pleading. "I swear. And I really would like it if you wanted to come to my birthday party."

"Who's all's gonna come?" Tony wanted to know.

"Um," Griffin looked at the floor, suddenly fascinated by the carpet. "Not a lot of peoples…some of the other kids on the street…but none of the mean ones. My Daddy doesn't get to come 'cause he's in Japan…might just be Mommy and me," he said sadly. "I don't have lots of friends."

If there was anything Little Tony knew about, it was about being lonely. And he hated it. And he wouldn't wish it on anybody. "I will come to your birthday party," he told Griffin, "But first I gotta ask my mommy and daddy. They got to bring me."

"I think we can make that happen Tony, if you want to," Jethro said. "I think it's very nice of you to invite Tony, Griffin."

"Thank you sir," Griffin said.

Jethro winked at him. "Don't call me sir. I work for a living," he said with a chuckle. The two little boys started giggling too. Sometimes daddies were so weird.

**xxx**

Pedro Hernandez sat in the cantina munching on tacos and listening to the news. There was a storm heading for the town In Zacatecas, Mexico. Tlaltenango could expect dangerous lightning and wind, heavy rains and possible power outages for the next several days. Pedro stroked his beard and took a long draught of beer. Life in Mexico was good. No one bothered him, no one asked many questions. He'd been there nearly a month now and he was quickly integrating into the community of Tlatenango. It was a sleepy little town without a lot of activity. Pedro had a job working with a contractor and they were currently building a bed and breakfast type inn for tourists to visit the town and stay. Pedro knew it would be time to move on soon.

He signaled the bartender for another beer and took another bite out of his taco. He was so content here; it seemed a shame that he would have to move on soon. He felt fingers brush along his shoulder blades then, and the light scent of a fresh flowered perfume filled his nose. Pedro turned and smiled at the beautiful senorita whose company he'd been sharing for a few weeks now. His eyes drifted hungrily over her slight curves. His eyes devoured her supple breasts and her perfectly rounded hips and bum. She was perfection. Her long dark hair framed her face just beautifully and she smiled when his gaze met her face. There was something else too…something about her that he was drawn to…something dark. Something twisted. Something that might understand Pedro's past.

"Good evening Lover," her quiet Spanish drifted over the sound of the mariachi music in the cantina.

He smiled and pulled her close, his hands tight on her hips, fingers rubbing up and down over her rump. "Mi Aryiola," he whispered. "I do adore you," he said, returning the lilting Spanish.

It wasn't long before Aryiola was straddled in Pedro's lap, the beer and tacos forgotten. The other patrons at the cantina smiled at the young love in their midst—truly Pedro and Aryiola were a beautiful couple. Pedro was growing quite fond of Aryiola; he never wanted to leave her. Wanted her soft body for his plundering for the rest of his life. He loved the way she looked, couldn't get enough of her pretty scent and her spicy taste. He felt addicted to her—he could not get enough of her.

Eventually the two retired back to the room that Pedro was renting. They spent the rest of the night together, ravaging each other's bodies…bringing each other to the edge of bliss and beyond over and over again. In the early morning hours, Pedro stared at the ceiling in the dark. He was lying on his back, Aryiola curled into his side, head on his shoulder. One of his hands brushed slowly through her hair and he could feel her light breath on his skin as she slept deeply beside her lover. Pedro let out a happy sigh and for the moment he let thoughts of getting revenge on Gibbs and his family drift away. Sometimes there were more important things in life than war.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to a peaceful sleep. Love was one of those things.

**xxx**

Assistant Director Norman Giles was not happy. It had been weeks, and his MCRT was still tied up in the Hernandez case. The Director over in Washington DC was breathing down his neck to get the team back up and running and moving on to new cases. There were dead people who needed identifying and whose killers needed finding. He hung up the phone and sighed. He took a sip of coffee and then picked the phone back up. He dialed Hetty's extension.

"Lange," Hetty snapped into the receiver. Giles could tell she was preoccupied with something.

"Hetty," he said pleasantly. "I'd like to speak with you in my office please." He imagined her throwing down her pen as she sighed into his ear.

"Be right up Director," she said and hung up on her boss.

Giles knew this conversation was going to rise a storm in his best agent. He knew she was emotionally invested in this case, and he knew this was going to set her temper off to record heights. But he was out of options—he had cases piling up and no one else to take them on. There was no choice here. And he hated that, because he knew all those families of all those dead girls wanted this to be done.

The door swung open and Hetty stood on the threshold. Giles knew better than to expect a knock from her—she always just waltzed right into his office, didn't matter who or what might be going on in there. He smiled at her. "Hetty come in and close the door please. We need to talk."

Hetty closed the door behind her and moved to stand in front of the director's desk. Honestly, there wasn't that much difference in their height with him sitting and her standing. He towered over her by nearly a foot and a half in height—he stood well over six feet and was a large framed man. Hetty was barely five feet and very small in stature. So she opted to stand, feeling it put them on a more even playing field.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I would like a sit-rep on the Hernandez case."

Hetty snorted sadly and shook her head. "We're still looking. Leads are still trickling in but…so far they're not turning anything up."

"Has there been any sighting of Hernandez?"

"No. But there have been calls in about his car, about people who may look like him, that sort of thing. We did find his vehicle. We traced the tag and vehicle identification number and verified that it was, in fact, Hernandez's car."

"Did his vehicle provide any other evidence?"

Hetty let out a long breath and nodded. "Fingerprints inside and on the doors and trunk of the car match the registered prints of Pedro Hernandez. Hair samples taken from the trunk of Hernandez's car have been matched to Lilah Sonders and Natasha Alexander, both of whom are identified victims of Pedro Hernandez. Hair samples taken from the front seat of the car matched that of Ruby Jarvis, also identified as one of Hernandez's victims. Ruby's body was the first one discovered in the playground sandbox on the Marine Base. And the sandbox is located within 50 yards of Hernandez's back porch. Standing in the second floor bedroom in Hernandez's base housing, you can see the sandbox. It is believed, though not verified at this time, that Hernandez placed his victims there so he could still see them. That is the same bedroom where Agent Karen Fisher was murdered in the same manner as the other three discovered victims. We also cannot forget the death of the Military Police officer who was guarding the playground, as well as Agent Phelps."

"How is Agent Phelps doing? Is he still in the coma?"

Hetty nodded. "I called to check on him last night. They said he's developed some fluid on his lungs, and it sounds like the beginning of pneumonia. They're giving him some high powered medications to try and fight it, but…when I spoke to Phelps' partner…Marc told me that he's probably going to take Carter off of the life support."

"Is he in a position to do that?" the director asked gently.

Hetty bit her lip and nodded. "Marc is Carter's next of kin and medical proxy. He's the only one allowed to do that. And…with as much as…as Carter is suffering…really it might be for the best. His brain activity is so depressed and sporadic after the attack…and the doctors aren't convinced he will ever come out of the coma. It's likely that he'll remain in the vegetative state for the rest of his life. And I know Carter…he wouldn't want that. Marc knows that too. Sounds to me like we're going to have another funeral to attend, sir," Hetty said with a sad sniff.

"That will bring Hernandez's death toll to six," Giles said. He wanted the bastard found as much as Hetty did—the sonofabitch killed two of their agents—good agents! He sighed and ran a hand over his head. "Hetty I'm sorry to do this, but Washington is breathing down my neck and hasn't left me any other choice."

Hetty's eyes widened in horror. "Give me a few more days. One more week. Please sir—these people—our agents—they deserve to see justice done!"

"I agree," Giles said. "However, the decision has been taken out of my hands. The Hernandez case is closed. The trail has gone cold. We will move it to cold case files and we will add his name to America's Most Wanted list."

"I've already added his name to that list," Hetty said quietly. "I just…I wish we could find him. Based on the location where we discovered his car, we believe that Hernandez may have escaped into Mexico."

"Do you have any idea where in Mexico?"

Hetty shook her head. "None. He doesn't have any family there that we know of."

"Well Hetty, Mexico is a big place. If you could give me an idea of where you might locate him then I could talk to the director about an extension, but as it stands…"

"I understand, Director," Hetty said.

"Thank you Hetty," Giles said. "I know this case has been difficult on you and your team. Are you and Franks alright to work as a two man team until I can transfer some new agents to your team?"

"Yes we're fine," Hetty said.

"I will try not to give you two probationary agents. But I'm making no promises."

"Thank you Director." Hetty's cell phone rang and she looked at it. "It's the hospital," she said softly, and opened the phone. "Hetty Lange," she answered pleasantly, her voice devoid of any emotion. "Hello there Marc."

Giles watched as the color drained from Hetty's face, and he knew what had happened.

"Th-thank you for calling and letting us know Marc," Hetty said softly. "Please, let us know what the arrangements are."

She listened for a moment more then said goodbye and hung up the phone. Hetty looked at Assistant Director Norman Giles and there was murder in her gaze. "You tell the _Director_ that he'd better not forget about this case. I want Pedro Hernandez found. He killed TWO of my agents! I want the sonofabitch on Ducky's table!"

"Hetty," Giles said. "Look I know you're upset, but this—"

"I know," Hetty said. "I didn't mean that. But I want justice done. I don't want to see this guy be forgotten just because he ran away and hid under a rock."

"I understand that. But for now the situation is out of our hands. I'm going to take you off of rotation until after Phelps' funeral services. Then we'll get you and Mike a new case and a couple of new agents."

Hetty looked at her longtime friend and smiled sadly, then nodded. "Thanks," she said softly. Then she turned and left his office, her entire body slumped.

Giles let out a long breath and ran a hand over his face. Days like this…days like this made him hate his job.

**xxx**

Jethro knocked on Tony's bedroom door and poked his head inside. Tony looked up curiously. He still didn't understand why his mommy and daddy always knock on his door before they come into his room—it's their house. They can go wherever they want to. But Tony chose not to ask about it today. Today he was sitting at his table working on building a diplodocus out of his fossil kit that JoAnne and Kelly had gotten for him.

"Buddy?" Jethro asked, stepping farther inside the room. "Having fun?"

Tony smiled at Jethro and nodded. "Wanna help me?"

Jethro pulled out one of the small Tony-sized chairs and folded his long frame into it. "What are we building?" he asked.

"A dip-ah-dick-us dino-soar," Tony responded holding up the pieces as though it were obvious. "I am kind of stuck though. Not sure where this piece goes," he held up one of the flat-ish wooden pieces that was oddly shaped.

The two worked on the model dinosaur for a few minutes and then Jethro spoke softly. "So Tony," he said conversationally. "Your Mommy and I think we should take you to the fair."

Jethro blinked in confusion when Tony suddenly stood up and crutched over to the bed where the box of dinosaur pieces was spilled. He'd been so careless when he'd gotten this out—he obviously hadn't taken good care of his toys—that's why Jethro suddenly wanted to play—and that's why now they wanted to take Tony back to where they found him and get rid of him again. He shouldn't have ever trusted this—shouldn't have ever thought that this could be his home forever. He should have known he'd screw it up—Tony knew he always screwed up everything. But this…this cut him so deeply, hurt him so tremendously, that he couldn't even voice his fear. With shaky hands he began to hastily put the toys back in the box. Once they were picked up off the bed, Tony turned around, tears still in his eyes and his cheeks pale, and crutched back over to the table where he ripped apart his diplodocus model and threw it in the box as well, taking no care to take it apart gently—moving so fast that he was jerking the pieces apart, ripping and breaking some of the ends.

Tony flinched when hands wrapped gently around his, stilling his movements. "Hey," Jethro said softly, in the same gentle voice he'd used every time he'd spoken to Tony since the night they'd met. Tony's eyes filled with tears and ran pitifully down his cheeks and dripped onto the table in front of him. Jethro noticed and pulled him closer. "Talk to me," he instructed. "What's the matter, Sweet Boy?"

Tony shrugged, and didn't respond. The quiet tears continued and eventually Tony melted into Jethro's embrace, soaking up as much warmth and love as he could—who knew when he'd get it next?

Jethro hugged him for a long moment but then pulled back slightly and cupped the child's face in his large hands. "Talk to me son," he murmured, his face masked with concern. "Tell Daddy what's wrong?"

"Y-Y-Y-You-You a-a-an-an' Muh-Muh-Mommmmmyyyyy g-gonna getridofme?" As difficult as it was to get Tony started talking, once he began the words all tumbled out at once.

Jethro pulled Tony up into his lap and hugged him as tightly as he dared. "No way," he promised. "No way are we ever getting rid of you. We love you so much! We'd be so sad without you! We thought maybe you'd want to go to the fair to see what it's like, is all. If you don't want to go we'll pick out something else to do this afternoon."

Downstairs, they both heard the doorbell ringing, and Tony instinctively moved closer to Jethro. "Easy," he said softly. "It's just the doorbell. It's ok."

A moment later Shannon's voice drifted up the stairs. "Jethro? Can you come down here a minute? Agent Hetty is here."

Jethro stood up, the little boy still in his arms. "C'mon Tough Guy," he said, giving Tony's tummy a tickle. "Let's go say hi to Agent Hetty."

**xxx**

Hetty took Mike with her, and together they headed for the Gibbs' home. She was pleased that the renovations made after the earthquake were completed and they'd been able to move back into their house. She had a feeling that Jethro Gibbs was not going to be pleased with the news he was going to be receiving from this visit.

She pulled into the driveway and after sharing a sober look with Mike, got out of the car and headed for the door. Hetty raised her hand and knocked; her heart was heavy with all of the revelations of the day. When the door opened, she tried for force a smile to her face, but failed. "May we come inside?" she asked softly.

Shannon beckoned them into the house. She closed the door behind them and ushered them into the living room. They noted that the futon was now upright and looked like a couch instead of a bed, and there were toys scattered about on the floor. "Excuse the mess," Shannon said breathlessly. "We've been playing all afternoon."

Hetty did smile at this. "Is the Gunny at home, Mrs. Gibbs?" she asked.

"Yes, he's upstairs with Tony. I'll call them down. Would you like some coffee?" Shannon thought they looked like they needed something stronger than coffee. They nodded their heads and Shannon turned towards the kitchen, pausing at the stairs. "Jethro? Can you come down here a minute? Agent Hetty is here."

A moment later, they could hear Jethro coming down the steps and Hetty smiled sadly when she saw Little Tony in his daddy's arms. The little one looked like he'd been upset only moments before and she wondered what could have happened to make this little angel sad. "Hello," Jethro said. He took a seat on the recliner, across the room from where Hetty and Mike were seated on the futon he'd built. "What's going on?" Hetty had been keeping him updated on the case, and Jethro wondered if that's what prompted the visit today. "Do you have news for me?"

"I do," Hetty said regretfully. "Gunny…" she sighed. "I received orders this morning that we are to close the Hernandez case and move it to cold cases."

Jethro blinked. "Why would you do that? It hasn't been that long—only a few weeks? You could still find Hernandez! A man doesn't just disappear off the face of the earth without a trace!"

"No," Hetty agreed, "they don't. However, sometimes they find very, very good hiding places. I'm sorry Gunny. Hernandez has been placed on the Most Wanted list, but barring any direct sightings of him, the trail has gone cold. We have reason to believe he may have moved into Mexico, but the path dies there. We've been unable to locate him and are under orders from Washington to put the case on the back burner for now. But I can assure you that this man will not go unpunished. We will find him, and he will pay for his crimes."

"He's gonna know I ratted him out," Gibbs said. "How do you propose to keep my family safe?" he hugged Tony a little bit tighter.

"Base security will remain tightened as it is now, and the marine guards are being given strict instructions about what to do, should Hernandez show up on base. If you would prefer, we could petition to have you transferred to another base—"

"I'd rather not do that," Jethro said. "There's been enough changes lately. What we need is stability. But we have to be safe."

"I assure you we will do everything possible to keep your family safe, Gunny."

Gibbs nodded and smiled down at Tony who looked quite confused by the whole conversation. "Good," he said. "That's good."

"Look a'me, Agent Hetty!" Tony exclaimed suddenly, sliding off of Jethro's lap. Jethro stood up and let the little boy lean on him a bit—his crutches were still upstairs—and Hetty's eyes widened when she saw the child begin to make his way over to his walker. Then he let go of his daddy's arm and grabbed onto the walker before walking over to the Senior Agent. He smiled up at her. "I got my doctor magic to fix my leg and now it's all better!" he exclaimed. "It still hurt-es some, but it's ok now. I can walk on it better. See?" he lapped the room just for show, and the grownups in the room smiled.

"You're gonna be running fast like Mike before you know it," Hetty told him. "Mike can run very fast when he wants to."

"A doctor say no running for nows, but maybe one day," Tony said. "It ok I can walk without it hurting now. I do not need to run." An idea struck him then and he smiled cheekily up at Hetty. "You wanna dance with me?" He'd seen Daddy dance with Mommy one night. Behind him Jethro smiled and shook his head at his little boy's antics.

Hetty chuckled. "I'd love to dance with you Tony," she said, and she took hold of the front of his walker. Together they made slow circles around the room, dancing to music that only they could hear. Tony smiled up at her. "I love you Hetty," he said.

Jethro's eyes widened. He glanced over at Shannon who had just come into the room. The young parents stared at each other for a long moment, wondering how Hetty would respond to this and how Tony could be let down gently. At the same time they were in awe over him having his first little boy crush, proud that he was in such a place emotionally that he could learn to care for others in this way.

Hetty smiled at Tony and ruffled his hair gently. "I think you are a very special young man," she said. "Do you still have the card I gave you?" Tony nodded solemnly. "I want you to keep that. And remember that if you ever need agent help to call me. You and I will always be great friends though," she promised.

Tony smiled. "I like that," he said.

Later after the agents had shared coffee with the Gibbses and chuckled over Little Tony and Kelly's antics in their midst, the two agents got back into their car with hearts that were considerably lighter than before. People like the Gibbses renewed Hetty's hope in people.

"Reckon we need to head back to the office Boss," Mike commented from the passenger seat. Then he grinned. "Unless you wanna stay here with your boyfriend longer?"

He burst out laughing as his head rocked forward from a firm headslap delivered from his boss. She didn't even spare him a glance. "Tony's got more class than most men my age," she snapped. "Wouldn't you agree Mike?" she grinned sweetly. Mike was only a few months younger than Hetty.

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Point," he muttered. Damn kids.

**xxx**

In the end, the Gibbses decided to go to the movies. Tony enjoyed the way the theater got dark and the screen grew brighter throughout the previews. He liked the surround sound and the funny seats that popped up when you stood up. The first time they'd gone to the movies, Tony hadn't been feeling well, so this was nearly brand new to him. His mommy and daddy had picked out a cartoon movie that was filled with bright colors, silly songs, funny characters, and next-to-no-plot. Tony ate popcorn and twizzlers and crossed his eyes trying to watch the drink climb the straw as he slurped on his soda. He didn't think he'd ever had quite so much fun as he did at the movies. He got to sit between Mommy and Daddy which was fun, and Kelly sat on the other side of Mommy. When the movie was over they clapped and cheered while they waited for the lights to come back on.

After the movie ended, Jethro and Shannon took the kids to a pizza parlor near the base where they ate pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese pizza until they were stuffed. Jethro drove them back home slowly, looking over the horizon at the lights from the fair down near the wharf, and once again remembering the night they found Tony. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he smiled when he saw Kelly and Tony's heads lolled forward in their booster seats. They were both doing so well. It had been quite a year.

"Today's a year isn't it?" Shannon said softly, reading Jethro's mind. She reached over and laid her hand on top of his as it rested on the gearshift.

"Yeah," Jethro said softly. "We've had him a year now. He's gotten so big."

"So grown up," Shannon commented. "He was so funny with Hetty and Mike this afternoon."

"He's going to be hell on wheels when he gets bigger—with those big green eyes of his and that innocent little smile, he's going to want for nothing—people will be falling all over themselves to get one of those looks from him," Jethro said with a chuckle and shake of his head.

"Good," Shannon said. "That's what he deserves." She looked up at Jethro and smiled.

"Happy anniversary Momma," Jethro said softly.

"Happy anniversary Baby," Shannon said softly, kissing his arm.

**xxx**

Anthony DiNozzo Senior didn't know if it was night or day. He didn't know what day it was or how long he'd been in the solitary tank. He woke from a restless sleep, rubbed a hand over his face and felt every one of his 36 years. He sighed. Maybe he was feeling every day twice. He glanced around the room, and was grateful that, for the moment at least, his Little Tormentor was gone. He wasn't sure why his mind's eye was conjuring up images of his only child—the child whom he'd abused without any remorse for years. The same child whom he went days without noticing, without even giving a second thought to. Indeed when he'd been away on business, there had been no calls home to coo to the baby, nor were there phone calls made to him so the baby could talk to Daddy. He relished life with his absent son—relished locking him in his box and leaving him there, out of sight, out of mind, for days on end. And then he relished punishing him for making a mess—when really, who could be expected to not use the bathroom for days on end? The simple solution was to stop feeding him. If he protested, he was drugged—Sofia always had a myriad of sleeping pills, painkillers, and the like around to induce whatever sort of stupor the DiNozzos might require of their son. He wasn't sure when she'd developed an affection for the pills, but he didn't question it. He didn't question it when she asked for money to "go get her prescriptions" and he didn't question it when she'd shove pills down the little boy's throat, effectively silencing him for a few given hours. Senior didn't know why his brain was making him relive all of those things, but every waking and dreaming moment he had was spent reliving those hellish times—reliving every moment he'd tormented his child, every time he'd hurt him, every time he'd yelled at him.

They'd told him at his disciplinary hearing that he'd earned himself four months in Solitary. The room was mostly dark, tiny, with only enough room for him to stand up and turn around to use the facilities. There were no comforts in this room—no pillows and no sheets, he was glad it was summer (was it still summer?) because he could sleep without covers. They'd put him here to give him time to think, and this cell was absolutely serving its purpose. There were positive things about it though, things that made him glad to be in here, despite his mind playing tricks on him. He was away from Moose. Away from Luger and his two cronies. He was out of the public eye, so his fears weren't broadcast for the world to see. He wouldn't look crazy to anyone but himself and probably the guards that were watching him—there were always guards watching him now. It didn't matter what they thought though—they'd thought him to be crazy since he'd arrived. Who in their right mind grabs a gun and shoots a kid in front of a courtroom full of witnesses? Obviously someone who wasn't all there. Well to hell with them, as far as Senior was concerned their opinions didn't matter. One day he'd be free and they'd all still be working in the tanks—they wouldn't escape until they were old, old men. 31 years wasn't very long. Tony would be his age now when Senior was released from prison.

He banged on the door. He banged and beat on the door for what seemed like hours (and probably was)…he was filled with relief when the eye hole slid open. "Whatta ya want asshole," the guard snarled at Senior. "They call this Solitary for a reason ya know. I don't need you buggin' the piss outta me for hours on end every time you start to feel lonesome. You're actually supposed to be in solitary—which means that you're supposed to be all alone—and you're there for a reason."

"I just…was wondering…two things," Senior said, his voice rough as he spoke out loud for the first time in hours.

"What," the guard growled. "Ain't got all day, Priss."

Senior shuddered at the nickname. "Was wondering if you see anyone else in here besides me?" he gestured back at the cell. The guard glanced over his shoulder and started to shut the eye hole back but Senior cried out for him to wait.

"What else are you wondering?"

"How…how long have I been in here?"

The guard snickered. "Not long enough. You've got a while left to bake, don't worry. We'll come get you when your timer goes off, you old turkey, you." That being said, the guard slammed the eye hole shut and Senior was alone again.

"You know that nobody but you can see us, right?" a voice from behind Senior spoke.

"Us? Did you bring a friend with you this time you worthless, sniveling little—" Senior gasped when he turned around. "No…" his eyes widened in fear. He turned around and banged on the door again, desperate to get away. He shivered when he felt an icy hand touch his arm, effectively stilling it, before slowly guiding him around.

"Helloooo Annnthonnnyyy," the figure of Sofia DiNozzo spoke. Her voice sounded eerie in the small cell. Her face was the color of death, her eyeball looked loose, and her skin was beginning to fall away from her face. "Soooo nicceeee of youuu to dreaaammm meee uppp!"

Senior looked from his beloved wife to his irritating son. "Wh-what do you want with me?"

"I tol' you already, Father," the figure of Tony said cheerfully. "I'm here until you quit dreaming me up! But while we wait…Mommy thought it might be fun for us to help you." He held up a golf club—the same golf club that Senior had used on Tony's leg all those months ago. Behind Tony, Sofia held up a fire poker. "Hold still Father!" Tony said. "We's a gonna makes you alllllll better!"

Outside at the desk, the guard on duty chuckled when he heard Senior's terrified scream and made a note about it. It was a beautiful sound—the sound of justice being served.

**The End**

**Author's Note: **Please join us for the next installment in the Terminal Orders series! We'll answer the question everyone has been asking—**What **_**WOULD**_** happen to Little Tony if Jethro is sent away on Deployment?! **The new story is called** "**_**Separation Anxiety**_**" **and Chapter 1 will be posted soon! Thanks again, for all your support on this series. More soon! Headbanger


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